UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA   SAN  DIEGO 


3  1822  02687  7720 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA   SAN  DIEGO 


3  1822  02687  7720 


T3 


^■1 


IN 

FOURTEEN  VOLUMES 

WITH   ILLUSTRATIONS 

VOLUME  I 

First  Edition 


PALACE    OF    THE    DALAI    LAMA   AT   LHASA, 
THIBET 

Enclosed  by  nature  between  barren  deserts  and  the  loftiest 
peaks  of  the  Himalayas,  and  barred  to  commerce  by  the 
most  rigorous  edicts  against  the  admission  of  foreigners, 
Thibet  remained  virtually  unknown  until  the  eighteenth 
century.  During  the  last  hundred  years  a  few  daring  ex- 
plorers traversed  the  country,  and  in  1904  a  mission  from  the 
Indian  government  fought  its  way  to  the  mysterious  city  of 
Lhasa,  to  offset  the  dreaded  influence  of  Russia  with  the 
court  of  Thibet,  and  to  regulate  trade  with  India.  The 
Dalai  Lama  fled;  he  fled  again  a  few  years  later  when  a 
Chinese  army  entered  the  city,  returning  in  191 2. 

Lamaism,  the  religion  of  Thibet,  is  a  corrupt  form  of 
Buddhism.  The  Dalai  Lama  (literally,  priest  as  great  as  the 
ocean),  who  is  the  supreme  pontiff,  is  also  the  nominal  ruler. 
On  the  death  of  the  Dalai  Lama  his  soul  is  supposed  to  pass 
into  the  body  of  a  new-born  infant,  who  thereby  becomes  his 
successor.  What  child  it  is,  who  thus  automatically  succeeds 
to  the  honor,  is  determined  by  lot  through  strange  and  com- 
plicated ceremonies.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  the  final 
choice  is  made  by  the  ruler  of  China,  who  is  overlord  of 
Thibet.  During  the  minority  of  the  Dalai  Lama  the  au- 
thority is  exercised  by  a  regent.  It  is  said  that  so  many  of 
the  Dalai  Lamas  die  mysteriously  just  before  coming  of  age, 
that  the  country  is  nearly  always  ruled  by  a  regent. 

The  Palace  of  the  Dalai  Lama  is  an  enormous  fortified 
structure  of  nearly  five  hundred  rooms.  It  is  made  of  stone 
and  whitewashed.  The  upper  half  of  the  central  part  is 
crimson,  as  are  also  the  eaves  and  the  coping  of  the  zigzag 
steps.  In  this  building,  majestic  without  but  dark  and  filthy 
within,  live  350  lamas.  Connected  with  it  are  other  build- 
ings for  printing  prayers,  casting  bronze  images,  manufac- 
turing incense,  and  keeping  cattle.  Tradition  says  that  this 
immense  edifice  was  reared  some  twelve  hundred  years  ago. 

This  photograph  of  a  temple  little  known  to  Western 
readers  was  taken  by  Dr.  S.  Chuan,  of  Tientsin,  China,  who 
accompanied  the  Chinese  ambassador  to  Lhasa. 


PALACE  OF   THE   DALAI   LAMA   AT   LHASA, 
THIBET 


CHINA  JAPAN 

AND  THE  ISLANDS  OF  THE  PACIFIC 

A  HISTORY  OF  THE  WORLD 

IN  STORY  SONG  AND  ART 

EDITED  BY 

EVA  MARCH  TAPPAN 

VOLUME  I 


BOSTON  AND   NEW  YORK 

HOUGHTON  MIFFLIN  COMPANY 

(Cbe  Ctitcr^jtic  J^rerfjs  Cambribgc 

1914 


COPYRIGHT,    I9I4,    BY    HOUGHTON    MIFFLIN   COMPANY 
ALL    KIGHTS    RESERVED 


THE    FIRST  EDITION    OF   THE    WORLD'S    STORY 

IS  LIMITED  TO   SEVEN  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY 

NUMBERED   COPIES,    OF    WHICH    THIS   IS 

NO.         *jZJ 


NOTE 

All  rights  in  material  used  in  this  volume  are  reserved 
by  the  holders  of  the  copyright.  The  publishers  and 
others  named  in  the  subjoined  list  are  the  proprietors, 
either  in  their  own  right  or  as  agents  for  the  authors, 
of  the  selections  taken  by  their  permission  from  the 
works  enumerated,  of  which  the  ownership  is  hereby 
acknowledged.  The  Editor  takes  this  opportunity  to 
thank  both  authors  and  publishers  for  the  ready  gener- 
osity with  which  they  have  given  permission  to  include 
these  selections  in  "The  World's  Story." 
"Chinese   Classics,"   by  James  Legge:  published  by 

George  Routledge  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  London. 
"History  of  China,"  by  S.  Wells  Williams:  published  in 
the  United  States  by  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New 
York;  in  Great  Britain  by  Sampson  Low,  Marston 
&  Company,  Ltd.,  London. 
"The  Lore  of  Cathay,"  by  W.  A.  P.  Martin:  published 
in  the  United  States  by  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company, 
New  York;  in  Great  Britain  by  Oliphant,  Anderson 
&  Ferrier,  Edinburgh  and  London. 
"The  Chinese,  their  Education,  Philosophy  and  Let- 
ters," by  W.  A.  P.  Martin:  pubUshed  by  Harper  & 
Brothers,  New  York. 
"China's  Open  Door,"  by  Rounsevelle  Wildman:  pub- 
lished by  Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Company,  Boston. 
"Some  Chinese  Ghosts,"  by  Lafcadio  Hearn:  published 
by  Little,  Brown  &  Company,  Boston. 


NOTE 

"Two  Thousand  Years  of  Missions,"  by  Lemuel  Call 
Barnes:  published  by  The  American  Baptist  Publica- 
tion Society,  Philadelphia. 

"A  Cycle  of  Cathay,"  by  W.  A.  P.  Martin :  published  in 
the  United  States  by  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company, 
New  York;  in  Great  Britain  by  Oliphant,  Anderson  & 
Ferrier,  Edinburgh  and  London. 

"When  I  was  a  Boy  in  China,"  by  Yan  Phou  Lee:  pub- 
lished by  Lothrop,  Lee&  Shephard  Company,  Boston. 

"The  People  of  China,"  by  J.  W.  Robertson:  published 
by  Methuen  &  Company,  Ltd.,  London. 

"  Chinese  Heroes,"  by  Isaac  Headland:  published  by 
The  Methodist  Book  Concern,  New  York. 

"The  Passing  of  Korea,"  by  Homer  B.  Hulbert:  pub- 
lished by  Doubleday,  Page  &  Company,  Garden  City, 
New  York. 

"Wandering  Words,"  by  Sir  Edwin  Arnold:  published 
in  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  by  Longmans, 
Green  &  Company,  New  York  and  London. 

"Japanese  Classical  Poetry,"  by  Basil  Hall  Chamber- 
lain: published  in  the  United  States  by  Charles 
Scribner's  Sons,  New  York ;  in  Great  Britain  by  George 
Routledge  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  London. 

"Japanese  Lyrical  Odes,"  translated  by  Charles  V. 
Dickens:  pubUshed  by  Smith,  Elder  &  Company, 
London. 

"  East  and  West,"  by  Sir  Edwin  Arnold :  published  in  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britain  by  Longmans,  Green 
&  Company,  New  York  and  London. 

"Seas  and  Lands,"  by  Sir  Edwin  Arnold:  published  in 
the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  by  Longmans, 
Green  &  Company,  New  York  and  London. 

vi 


NOTE 

"Things  Japanese,"  by  Basil  Hall  Chamberlain:  pub- 
lished in  the  United  States  by  Charles  Scribner's 
Sons,  New  York;  in  Great  Britain  by  George  Rout- 
ledge  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  London. 

"Japan,"  by  Mortimer  Menpes :  pubHshed  in  the 
United  States  by  The  Macmillan  Company,  New 
York;  in  Great  Britain  by  Adam  and  Charles  Black, 
London. 

"History  of  Japan,"  by  Francis  Ottiwell  Adams:  pub- 
lished by  George  Routledge  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  London. 

"Australia,"  by  W.  H.  Lang:  pubhshed  in  the  United 
States  by  Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company,  New  York; 
in  Great  Britain  by  T.  C.  &  E.  C.  Jack,  Edinburgh. 

"New  Zealand,"  by  Reginald  Horsley:  pubHshed  in  the 
United  States  by  Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company,  New 
York;  in  Great  Britain  by  T.  C.  &  E.  C.  Jack,  Edin- 
burgh. 

"The  Romance  of  Missionary  Heroism,"  by  John  C. 
Lambert:  pubhshed  by  Seeley,  Service  &  Company, 
Ltd.,  London. 

"Aguinaldo,  a  Narrative  of  Filipino  Ambitions,"  by 
Edwin  Wildman:  pubHshed  by  Lothrop,  Lee  & 
Shepard  Company,  Boston. 

"The  Home  Life  of  Borneo  Head-Hunters,"  by  William 
Henry  Furness,  3d:  published  by  J.  B.  Lippincott 
Company,  Philadelphia. 

"The  Chinese  Theater,"  by  Archibald  Little;  from  The 
Nineteenth  Century  and  After,  London,  June,  1902. 

"  The  Republic  of  China  " ;  from  The  Outlook,  New  York, 
February  24,  1912. 

"The  Pitcairn  Islanders";  from  Harper^ s  Monthly 
Magazine,  New  York,  April,  187 1. 

vii 


NOTE 


"Preparing  our  Moros  for  Government,"  by  R.  L.  Bul- 
lard;  from  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  Boston,  March,  1906. 

Illustration  — "Palace  of  the  Dalai  Lama  at  Lhasa, 
Thibet";  from  a  photograph  by  Dr.  S.  H.  Chiian, 
Tientsin,  China. 


CONTENTS 


PUBLISHERS'  NOTE nx 

INTRODUCTION X3d 

CHINA 
I.  IN  THE  EARLIEST  DAYS 

Shun  or  Yu,  who  controlled  the  Floods         .     .     Confucius        3 
From  "The  Shoo  King,  or  Book  of  Historical  Documents." 

IL   CONFUCIUS  AND  HIS  AGE 

The  Story  of  CoNFUcitrs A.W.  Loomis  13 

A  Visit  to  a  Temple  of  Confucius  .     .     .     .A.W.  Loomis  19 

From  "Confucius  and  the  Chinese  Classics." 

Some  of  the  Proverbs  of  Confucius    ....     Confucius  23 

Manners  and  Customs  of  Confucius's  Day     William  Speer  25 

From  "The  Oldest  and  the  Newest  Empire." 

Mencius S.  Wells  Williams  34 

From  "The  Middle  Kingdom." 

A  Story  of  Mencius Unknown  36 

Proverbs  of  Mencius Mencius  37 

III.  TIMES  OF  CHANGE  AND   CONFUSION 

The  Strenuous  Reign  of  Hoangti    .     .     .     Charles  Gutzlaff      41 

From  "A  Sketch  of  Chinese  History  Ancient  and  Modem." 
The  Rule  of  the  Hans    .......       William  Speer      49 

From  "The  Oldest  and  the  Newest  Empire." 
The  Three  Religions W.  A.  P.  Martin      53 

From  "The  Lore  of  Cathay." 
Dream  and  Reality,  a  Buddhist  Story     .     .     .  Chuang  Tzu      56 
MuLAN,  THE  Maiden  Chief Unknown      57 

From  "The  Chinese,  their  Education,  Philosophy,  and  Letters," 
by  W.  A.  P.  Martin. 
The  Prodigal  Emperor,  Wang-ti  .    .    .  Rounsevelle  Wildman      60 

From  "  China's  Open  Door." 

ix 


CONTENTS 

IV.  THE  AUGUSTAN  AGE 

Tai-tsung  the  Good William  Speer      6$ 

From  "The  Oldest  and  the  Newest  Empire." 
The  Rule  of  the  Empress  Wu     ...      5.  Wells  Williams      68 

From  "History  of  China." 
The  Founding  of  Hanlin  College   ....  William  Speer      70 

The  Binding  of  Feet William  Speer      73 

Printing William  Speer      75 

From  "The  Oldest  and  the  Newest  Empire." 

V.  THE  COMING  OF  THE  TARTARS 

The  Tartars  and  their  Customs Marco  Polo      79 

From  "The  Book  of  Sir  Marco  Polo,  the  Venetian,"  translated 
and  edited  by  Sir  Henry  Yule. 

The  Chinese  Theater Archibald  Little      85 

From  "  The  Nineteenth  Century  and  After,"  June,  1902. 

The  Sorrows  of  Han Unknown      88 

Jenghiz  Khan,  the  "Perfect  Warrior"     D.  Petis  de  la  Croix      92 
Jenghiz  Khan  captures  Peking     .     .     .     D.  Petis  de  la  Croix      95 

From  "History  of  Jenghiz  Khan  the  Great." 
The  Dirge  of  Jenghiz  Khan Unknown      97 

VI.  STORIES  OF  THE  GREAT  KHAN 

The  Palace  of  the  Great  Khan  in  Cambaluc  (Peking) 

Marco  Polo  loi 
How  the  Great  Khan  ate  his  Dinner  .  .  .  Marco  Polo  105 
How  KuBLAi  Khan  went  a-hunting       ....  Marco  Polo     108 

How  THE  Khan  sent  his  Messages Marco  Polo    113 

The  King's  Messenger Chuang  Tzu    118 

The  Polos  teach  the  Khan  how  to  capture  a  City 

Marco  Polo  119 
A  Chinese  City  at  the  End  of  the  Thirteenth  Century 

Marco  Polo     122 
All  of  the  above  selections,  except  "The  King's  Messenger,"  are 
from  "The  Book  of  Sir  Marco  Polo,  the  Venetian,"  trans- 
lated and  edited  by  Sir  Henry  Yule. 

VII.   CHINESE  FABLES  AND  TALES 

The  Boy  Philosopher Unknown    131 

The  Elixir  of  Life Unknown     132 

From  "Leaves  from   My  Chinese   Scrapbook,"  by  Frederic 
Henry  Balfour. 

X 


CONTENTS 

The  Tiger  and  the  Monkey Unknown    133 

From  "The  Chinese,  their  Education,  Philosophy,  and  Letters," 
by  W.  A.  P.  Martin. 

Was  He  the  Only  Cheat? Unknown     134 

The  Appeal  of  Lady  Chang Lady  Chang    136 

From  "Gems  of  Chinese  Literature,"  by  Herbert  A.  Giles. 

The  Soul  of  the  Great  Bell Lafcadio  Hearn     138 

From  "Some  Chinese  Ghosts." 

Vin.  THE  COMING  OF  THE  MISSIONARIES 

An  Enterprising  Missionary John  of  Corvino    147 

From  "Two  Thousand  Years  of  Missions,"  by  Lemuel  Call 
Barnes. 

The  Woman  with  the  Cross Mendez  Pinto    149 

From  "The  Voyages  and  Adventures  of  Ferdinand  Mendez 
Pinto." 

The  Worship  of  Ancestors W.  A.  P.  Martin     153 

From  "The  Lore  of  Cathay." 
Teaching  Science  to  the  Emperor   ....  Pere  du  Halde    155 

The  Emperor  and  the  Musician Pere  du  Halde     163 

The  Man  who  was  afraid  of  becoming  a  Horse 

Fire  du  Halde     166 
From  "A  General  History  of  China." 

How  the  Bonzes  got  the  Ducks Pere  le  Comte    168 

A  Visit  to  a  Lama Pere  Gerbillon     169 

From  "The  Travels  of  Father  Gerbillon,  Jesuit  and  French 
Missionary,  into  Tartary." 

IX.  THE  FIRST  TWO  CENTURIES  OF  MANCHU  RULE 

The  Coming  of  the  Kalmucks      .     .     .     Thomas  de  Quincey    177 

From  "The  Flight  of  a  Tartar  Tribe." 
Chinese  Punishments Pere  du  Halde    181 

From  "A  General  History  of  China." 
Why  the  Chinaman  wears  a  Queue     .  William  Elliot  Griffis    187 

From  "China's  Story." 
How  the  Chinese  received  the  First  English  Ambassador 

Charles  GUizlaff    189 

From  "A  Sketch  of  Chinese  History." 

Opium-Eaters William  Speer    193 

A  "Boston  Tea-Party"  in  China      ....  William  S peer    194 
What  the  Chinese  thought  about  the  English     Unknown    197 

From  "The  Oldest  and  the  Newest  Empire." 


CONTENTS 

How  THE  "Arrow  War"  began    .    .    .    .  W.  A.  P.  Martin    198 

From  "A  Cycle  of  Cathay." 
Receiving  the  Yellow  Jacket      .     .    .    .A.  Egmont  Hake    201 

From  "Events  in  the  Taiping  Rebellion." 

X.  LANGUAGE,  SCHOOLS,  AND  EXAMINATIONS 

The  Mandarin  Language Pere  du  Halde    207 

How  Chinese  Children  learn  to  read     .    .  Pere  du  Halde    210 

From  "A  General  History  of  China." 
When  I  went  to  School  in  China    ....  Yan  Phou  Lee    214 

From  "When  I  was  a  Boy  in  China." 
A  Child's  First  Lessons Unknown    222 

From  "The  People  of  China,"  by  J.  W.  Robertson  Scott. 
Civil  Service  Examinations  in  China   .    .  W.  A.  P.  Martin    223 
Questions  from  a  Civil  Service  Examination 231 

From  "The  Chinese,  their  Education,  Philosophy  and  Letters." 

XI.  IN  RECENT  YEARS 

War  between  China  and  Japan    .     .    .    .  W.  A.  P.  Martin    235 

From  "A  Cycle  of  Cathay." 
The  Adventures  of  Yao  Chen-yuan     .    .      Yao  Chen-yuan     239 

From  "Chinese  Heroes,"  by  Isaac  Headland. 
When  the  Allies  entered  Peking    ....   " Pierre  Loti"     249 

From  "The  Last  Days  of  Pekin." 
A  Diplomatic  Correspondence  between  the  United  States 

AND  China 257 

The  Republic  of  China 261 

From  "The  Outlook,"  February  24,  1912. 

KOREA 

When  Hideyoshi  invaded  Korea     .     .    .     Homer  B.  Hulbert    265 
From  "The  Passing  of  Korea." 

JAPAN 

I.  IN  ANCIENT  TIMES 

JiMMU  Tenno,  the  First  Mikado  of  Japan 

William  Elliot  Griffis     279 

From  "Japan  in  History,  Folklore,  and  Art." 
The  Japanese  Story-Teller      ....      Sir  Edwin  Arnold    284 

From  "Wandering  Words." 

xii 


CONTENTS 

The  Fisher  Boy  Urashima Unknown    289 

From  "Japanese  Classical  Poetry,"  by  Basil  Hall  Chamberlain. 

Social  Life  in  Kioto William  Elliot  Griffis    292 

From  "Japan  in  History,  Folklore,  and  Art." 

The  Story  of  Yoshitsune Yei  Theodora  Ozaki    299 

From  "Warriors  of  Old  Japan." 

Three  Japanese  Poems. 

The  Pine  Tree Chiu-nagon  Yuki-kira    318 

The  Faded  Flower Kino  Tomo-nori    318 

Faithfulness Dai-ni  no  Sammi    318 

From  "Japanese  Lyrical  Odes,"  translated  by  Frederick  Vic- 
tor Dickins. 

II.  THE  RULE  OF  THE  SHOGUNS 

The  Great  Khan  Kublai  invades  Japan  .      .      Marco  Polo    321 

From  "The  Book  of  Sir  Marco  Polo,  the  Venetian." 
The  Coming  of  Will  Adams  to  Japan  .    .    .      Will  Adams    325 

From  "Memorials  of  the  Empire  of  Japan  in  the  Sixteenth  and 
Seventeenth  Centuries,"  edited  by  Thomas  Rundall. 
Long  Spears  or  Short  Spears Walter  Dening    332 

From  "The  Life  of  Toyotomi  Hideyoshi." 
How  A  Man  became  a  God Lafcadio  Hearn    342 

From  "Gleanings  from  Buddha  Fields." 
Ribs  and  Skin Unknown    352 

From  "Japanese  Classical  Poetry,"  by  Basil  Hall  Chamber- 
Iain. 
How  IT  WOULD  FEEL  TO  BE  A  Shinto  God  .     Lafcadio  Hearn    362 

From  "Gleanings  from  Buddha  Fields." 
Tadasuke,  the  Japanese  Solomon     ....  Walter  Dening    369 

From  "Japan  in  Days  of  Yore." 
The  Sword  of  Japan Sir  Edwin  Arnold    378 

From  "East  and  West." 

III.   SOME  CURIOUS  CUSTOMS 

A  Japanese  Dinner-Party Sir  Edwin  Arnold    391 

From  "Seas  and  Lands." 
How  Japanese  Ladies  go  Shopping   .    .     .     Alice  M.  Bacon    399 

From  "Japanese  Girls  and  Women." 
An  Incense  Party Sir  Edwin  Arnold    407 

From  "East  and  West." 
A  Japanese  House Basil  Hall  Chamberlain    414 

From  "Things  Japanese." 

xiii 


CONTENTS 

Thinking  out  a  Garden Mortimer  Menpcs  417 

An  Artist  in  Flowers Mortimer  Metipes  419 

How  A  Japanese  paints Mortimer  Menpcs  422 

From  "Japan." 

How  TO  TALK  POLITELY  IN  Japan Percivol  Lowcll  424 

From  "The  Soul  of  the  Far  East." 

IV.  THE  AWAKENING  OF  JAPAN 

When  Commodore  Perry  landed  in  Japan  .  Francis  L.  Hawks    427 
From  "Narrative  of  the  Expedition  of  an  American  Squadron  to 
the  China  Seas  and  Japan  under  Commodore  M.  C.  Perry." 

The  President's  Letter Townsend  Harris    438 

From  "Townsend  Harris,  first  American  Envoy  in  Japan,"  by 
W.  E.  Griffis. 
The  Schools  of  Old  Japan   ....  Francis  Ottiwell  Adams    443 

From  "History  of  Japan." 
How  TO  learn  Japanese  ....    Rev.  M.  L.  Gordon,  M.D.    447 

From  "An  American  Missionary  in  Japan." 
The  Attack  upon  Port  Arthur 

Lieutenant  Today oski  Sakurai    452 
From  "Human  Bullets." 

V.  LITTLE  STORIES  OF  JAPAN 
Japanese  Politeness Mortimer  Menpes    461 

From  "  Japan." 
How  the  Shopkeeper  lost  his  Queue  .    .    .  Lafcadio  Hearn    462 

From  "The  Japanese  Letters  of  Lafcadio  Hearn." 
The  Cherry  Tree  of  the  Sixteenth  Day    .  Lafcadio  Hearn    463 

From  "Kwaidan." 
Japanese  Children  and  their  Games    .    .  Sir  Edwin  Arnold    465 

From  "Wandering  Words." 

THE  ISLANDS   OF  THE  PACIFIC 

The  First  Australian  Colonists W.  H.  Lang    477 

Gold,  Gold,  Gold! W.  H.  Lang    484 

From  "Australia." 
The  Missionary  and  the  Cannibals      .    .   Reginald  Horsley    494 

From  "New  Zealand." 
The  Story  of  Pitcairn  Island Anonymous    503 

From  "  Harper's  Monthly  Magazine,"  April,  1871. 
The  Last  Voyage  of  Captain  Cook      Charles  C.  B.  Seymour    51° 

From  "  Self-made  Men." 

xiv 


CONTENTS 

The  Vengeance  of  the  Goddess  Pele     ....    Kalakaua    521 

From  "The  Legends  and  Myths  of  Hawaii." 
Father  Damien,  the  Missionary  to  the  Lepers 

John  C.  Lambert    526 

From  "The  Romance  of  Missionary  Heroism." 
A  Visit  to  Aguinaldo Edwin  Wildman    536 

From  "Aguinaldo,  a  Narrative  of  Filipino  Ambitions." 
Preparing  Our  Moros  for  Government   .     .   R.  L.  Bullard    542 

From  the  "Atlantic  Monthly,"  March,  1906. 
A  Visit  to  a  Head-hunter  of  Borneo 

William  Henry  Furness,  3d    563 

From  "The  Home-life  of  Borneo  Head-hunters." 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Palace  of  the  Dalai  Lama  at  Lhasa,  Thibet       Photograph 

Frontispiece 

Rakan  feeding  the  Hungry  Spirit     .     .    .   Chinese  painting  52 

The  Peking  Observatory Photograph  128 

The  Temple  of  Heaven,  Peking Photograph  186 

A  Grain  Shop  in  Korea Photograph  264 

The  Great  Buddha  of  Kamakura Photograph  318 

Interior  of  a  Japanese  Temple Photograph  368 

A  Stone  Gateway Photograph  418 

Fuji-Yama Photograph  462 

Hot-Water  Basins,  New  Zealand      Photograph  502 

Baro  Buddor,  an  Ancient  Temple  of  Java    .    .  Photograph  562 

Detail  of  Temple  at  Brambanan Photograph  562 


PUBLISHERS'    NOTE 

The  scope  of  "  The  World's  Story  "  is  briefly  suggested 
by  its  subtitle,  "  A  History  of  the  World  in  Story,  Song, 
and  Art."  It  is  a  series  of  selections  from  the  best  prose 
literature,  the  most  inspiring  poetry,  and  the  most 
striking  examples  of  historical  painting,  made  with  a 
view  to  obtaining,  from  these  three  sources,  a  compre- 
hensive and  reasonably  complete  presentation  of  the 
world's  history,  from  the  earliest  recorded  events  to  the 
present  time.  It  aims  to  utilize  the  writings  of  the  best 
authors  and  the  paintings  of  the  greatest  artists  to 
present  a  series  of  pictures,  each  interesting  and  instruc- 
tive in  itself,  and  constituting  as  a  whole  an  illuminating 
review  of  the  most  important  events  of  the  world's 
history.  Art  is  relied  upon  to  furnish  its  quota  of  mate- 
rial in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  literature.  One 
scene  may  be  presented  by  means  of  the  brush  of  a 
master  painter,  while  another  may  be  the  graphic  word 
painting  of  some  great  author.  The  selections  are 
arranged  in  chronological  order  and  under  geographical 
divisions  so  that  the  reader  may  begin  with  the  oldest 
known  civilization,  —  that  of  the  Oriental  countries,  — 
and,  following  the  westward  "course  of  empire,"  see  in 
imagination  the  progress  of  civilization  and  something 
of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  people  of  all  ages  and 
of  all  parts  of  the  world. 

These  selections  represent  the  work  of  no  less  than 
six  hundred  representative  authors  and  one  hundred 
well-known  artists.  By  means  of  a  series  of  historical 
notes  and  editorial  introductions,  this  vast  assemblage 

xix 


PUBLISHERS'   NOTE 

of  material  is  welded  together,  into  a  homogeneous 
account  of  the  world's  history. 

The  selection  and  arrangement,  together  with  the 
editorial  introductions  and  explanations,  are  the  work 
of  Eva  March  Tappan,  well  known  as  the  author  of 
many  volumes  of  popular  history  and  as  the  editor  of 
"The  Children's  Hour."  She  has  devoted  more  than 
three  years  to  the  search  for  suitable  material  and  has 
brought  together  one  thousand  one  hundred  selections, 
many  of  them  from  books  ordinarily  inaccessible  to 
the  general  reader. 

The  final  volume  of  the  series  is  an  "  Outline  of  Uni- 
versal History,"  outlining  in  brief  the  important  events 
and  giving  the  names  of  rulers  and  leaders,  with  dates, 
from  the  earliest  time  down  to  the  date  of  publication. 
In  addition,  there  are  alphabetical  indexes  of  titles  and 
authors  and  a  general  index  of  all  the  famous  characters 
and  events  mentioned  in  the  selections.  Pains  have  been 
taken  to  indicate  in  the  Table  of  Contents  the  sources 
from  which  the  selections  have  been  made.  By  this 
means  a  reference  guide  is  provided  to  the  world's  best 
historical  Hterature,  and  the  reader  is  enabled  to  extend 
his  study  in  the  portions  of  the  field  found  most  inter- 
esting. 

"  The  World's  Story"  offers  to  the  general  reader  a 
new  and  agreeable  way  of  reviewing  the  history  of  civil- 
ization. The  publishers  beheve  that  it  will  prove  of 
special  value  to  all  who  for  any  reason  are  unable  to 
give  the  time  to  a  comprehensive  study  of  the  vast 
literature  of  history,  but  who  will  be  glad  to  get  from 
their  historical  reading  the  same  delight  that  one  ex- 
pects to  derive  from  the  reading  of  novels  and  poems. 


INTRODUCTION 

Did  you  ever  stop  to  consider  how  the  average  person 
becomes  acquainted  with  the  history  of  his  own  land? 
Few  people,  even  among  the  most  patriotic,  have  ever 
read  a  full  and  complete  work  on  the  story  of  their 
country;  but  yet,  in  some  mysterious  way,  they  have 
acquired  a  working  knowledge  of  its  annals.  Something 
of  this  they  gain  in  even  the  elementary  schools,  of 
course;  but  such  knowledge  of  facts  is  quite  a  different 
matter  from  the  feeling  of  friendly  familiarity,  of  being 
at  home  in  the  chronicles  of  our  mother  land,  that  comes 
to  most  of  us  in  greater  or  less  degree. 

This  is  our  birthright.  We  gain  possession  of  it  less  by 
studying  than  simply  by  living  among  our  own  people. 
We  hear  legends  —  a  bloodcurdling  narrative  of  an  es- 
cape from  the  Indian  tomahawk,  the  story  of  the  diary 
of  Marie  Antoinette,  the  tale  of  the  hiding  away  of 
some  priest  or  oavaHer,  the  tradition  of  Bishop  Hatto 
and  his  tower.  We  read  here  and  there  an  anecdote  of 
WelHngton,  or  Peter  the  Great,  or  Hideyoshi.  We  hear 
stories  of  the  recent  wars  from  the  lips  of  veterans. 
"The  Relief  of  Lucknow"  tells  us  something  of  the  In- 
dian Mutiny;  "John  Brown's  Body,"  of  the  American 
Civil  War;  "The  Charge  of  the  Light  Brigade,"  of  the 
Crimea;  Byron's  "Eve  of  Waterloo,"  of  the  fall  of  Na- 
poleon. The  "Idylls  of  the  King"  gives  us  a  living  King 
Arthur ;  the  Earl  of  Rochester's  "  Epitaph  on  Charles  II " 
is  an  exceedingly  good  characterization  of  the  merry 
monarch;  there  are  " Hohenlinden "  and  "The  Battle  of 

xxi 


INTRODUCTION 

the  Baltic,"  —  indeed  there  is  no  end  to  the  poems 
that  bring  the  past  before  us  in  glowing  colors. 

The  daily  papers  are  full  of  phrases  that  originated  in 
some  historical  event.  "England  expects  every  man  to 
do  his  duty,"  "Forty  centuries  are  looking  down  upon 
you,"  "prairie  schooners,"  "  49-ers,"  the  "  cat-and-mouse 
law,"  the  "Vicar  of  Bray,"  —  all  these  arose  from  some 
episode  in  history.  Proper  names,  too,  are  wonderfully 
suggestive.  Why  is  there  a  Ponce  de  Leon  hotel  in 
Florida?  How  did  Whitehall  Street,  and  Trafalgar 
Square,  and  West  Indies,  Alexandria,  Constantinople, 
Alhambra,  Pittsburg,  the  Theater  of  Pompey,  and  the 
Avenue  de  Neuilly  get  their  names?  There  are  mon- 
uments that  are  history  condensed.  There  is  a  lion  at 
Lucerne,  horses  at  St.  Mark's;  there  is  a  lofty  shaft 
on  Bunker  Hill,  a  statue  of  William  Penn  on  the  top 
of  the  city  hall  of  Philadelphia.  There  are  monu- 
ments to  Wolfe  and  Montcalm,  to  Brock,  Frontenac,  and 
Champlain,  to  Washington,  Sir  Harry  Vane,  Joan  of  Arc, 
Alfred  the  Great,  Wellington,  Richard  the  Lion-hearted. 
Indeed,  we  can  hardly  walk  a  mile  in  any  city  without 
reading,  in  statue  or  column  or  name  of  street  or  square 
or  building,  some  chapter  in  local  history.  Our  most 
familiar  pictures  are  historical.  Who  does  not  know 
the  "Princes  in  the  Tower,"  "Charlotte  Corday,"  the 
"Return  of  the  Mayjflower,"  "Queen  Victoria  Ascend- 
ing the  Steps  of  the  Throne,"  "Napoleon  on  the 
Bellerophon,"  the  "Death  of  Nelson,"  "Alfred  in  the 
Herdsman's  Cottage"? 

So  it  is,  in  these  and  a  hundred  similar  ways  of  which 
we  take  little  account,  that  the  history  of  our  home  land 
comes  to  us.   Such  knowledge  is  necessarily  incomplete 

xxii 


INTRODUCTION 

and  somewhat  fragmentary.  We  do  not  know  the  exact 
latitude  and  longitude  of  the  spot  where  the  Constitu- 
tion encountered  the  Guerriere,  perhaps  we  have  even 
forgotten  the  year  when  the  famous  battle  took  place; 
but  we  are  reasonably  sure  to  remember  that  the  familiar 
name  of  the  first-mentioned  vessel  was  "Old  Ironsides," 
and  that  Holmes  wrote  a  poem  with  that  title.  Uncon- 
sciously we  join  our  bits  of  information  together,  and 
when  we  read  even  the  barest  outline  of  our  country's 
history,  then,  no  matter  what  our  home  land  may  be, 
we  are  sure  to  find  these  stories  and  pictures  and  songs, 
these  memories  of  statues  and  streets  and  monuments 
and  names  and  phrases,  thronging  into  our  minds  and 
taking  their  proper  places  in  its  chronicles. 

The  brief  and  uninteresting  annals  throb  with  inter- 
est in  proportion  as  we  are  able  to  put  something  of  our 
own  between  the  lines.  They  become  our  story,  and, 
by  the  aid  of  a  gleam  of  imagination,  it  is  almost  the 
record  of  our  own  experiences.  This  is  the  natural 
method  of  learning  history.  It  is  the  way  in  which  we 
become  acquainted  with  our  friends.  It  is  the  way  in 
which  we  form  for  ourselves  the  image  of  any  person  or 
place  that  we  have  not  seen.  If  we  would  form  a  mental 
likeness  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  for  instance,  we  must  bring 
together  her  genuine  devotion  to  England,  her  ability 
to  choose  great  ministers,  her  vanity,  temper,  love  of 
magnificence  and  gorgeousness,  her  neglected  girlhood, 
her  delight  in  flattery,  herdeceitfulness,  and  her  political 
sagacity.  These  traits  and  many  others  come  to  our 
minds  one  by  one ;  and  with  the  coming  of  each  we  gain 
a  new  idea  of  her  character,  and  finally  form  a  mental 
image  of  a  woman  of  such  traits  and  such  peculiarities. 

xxiii 


INTRODUCTION 

But  we  have  only  one  mother  country,  only  one  life 
in  which  to  grow  up  into  the  knowledge  and  history  of 
a  land,  to  learn  as  children  her  monuments  and  streets 
and  her  memorial  phrases,  to  gaze  upon  her  relics,  to 
hear  from  the  lips  of  her  people  the  tales  of  events  within 
their  own  recollection.  Our  knowledge  of  other  lands 
must  come  chiefly  through  books.  Macaulay  says,  "  The 
effect  of  historical  reading  is  analogous,  in  many  respects, 
to  that  produced  by  foreign  travel.  The  student,  like 
the  tourist,  is  transported  into  a  new  state  of  society. 
He  sees  new  fashions,  he  hears  new  modes  of  expression. 
His  mind  is  enlarged  by  contemplating  the  wide  diver- 
sities of  laws,  of  morals,  and  of  manners."  By  diligent 
study  one  may,  of  course,  learn  the  history  of  a  country; 
but  is  it  possible  to  acquire  in  some  degree  the  feeling 
of  easy  familiarity  with  the  story  of  a  foreign  land  which 
we  have  with  that  of  our  own,  and  what  means  shall  we 
employ  in  the  attempt? 

First  of  all,  we  may  make  use  of  the  great  historical 
paintings  of  the  world,  each  one  flashing  a  light  upon 
some  chapter  of  the  past.  In  Gerome's  "Pollice  Verso," 
for  instance,  the  scene  is  in  the  Colosseum,  where  the 
victor  stands  with  sword  in  hand  and  foot  upon  the 
breast  of  his  conquered  adversary.  The  galleries  are 
gorgeous  with  carvings,  tapestry,  brilliant  costumes, 
beautiful  women  and  gallant  men.  Some  of  the  specta- 
tors are  a  little  bored  by  the  familiarity  of  the  entertain- 
ment. Some  care  for  nothing  but  the  display  of  their 
own  charms.  The  center  of  interest  is  that  portion  of  the 
gallery  which  is  occupied  by  the  Vestal  Virgins,  women 
whose  office  of  honor  and  sanctity  is  the  care  of  the 
worship  of  Vesta,  the  goddess  of  the  burning  hearth, 

xxiv 


INTRODUCTION 

of  the  love,  the  quiet,  the  purity  of  the  ideal  home. 
They  are  robed  in  significant  white.  The  richest  of 
tapestries  hang  over  the  rail  before  them.  The  wishes 
of  these  virgins  are  so  respected,  that  upon  their  will 
really  depends  the  hfe  or  death  of  the  man  who  lies 
under  the  mailed  heel  of  the  victor.  The  conqueror 
stands,  gazing  upward  for  their  decision.  The  crowds 
beyond  the  royal  seats  peer  around  to  see  what  it  shall 
be.  And  the  venerated  women  stretch  out  their  beauti- 
fully moulded  arms,  and  with  thumbs  pointing  down- 
ward (pollice  verso),  demand  the  slaughter  of  the  man 
whose  upraised  hand  pleads  for  mercy.  This  is  an  im- 
pressive picture  of  a  thrilling  moment;  it  is  also  a  chap- 
ter in  history.  Here  we  read  the  bravery  and  fearlessness 
of  the  Romans,  their  inherited  respect  for  the  servants 
of  the  gods,  their  self-restraint  and  obedience  to  the  law 
even  in  the  excitement  of  a  moral  struggle,  and  their  at- 
tainments in  the  arts  and  in  appreciation  of  luxury  and 
magnificence.  But  there  is  another  side  to  the  picture. 
Here  is  also  the  Roman  cruelty,  the  Roman  oblivious- 
ness to  the  sufferings  of  others.  There  are  smiles  and 
jesting,  there  is  curiosity  to  learn  the  wishes  of  the 
Virgins;  but  there  is  nowhere  a  gleam  of  pity  for  the 
man  who  lies  writhing  in  agony.  Here  are  indicated  long 
periods  of  history,  the  history  of  a  warlike,  unfeeling, 
conquering  race,  obedient  to  law,  and  of  great  wealth 
and  material  progress.  One  may  even  glance  onward 
from  the  moment  of  the  picture  and  prophesy  that  a 
nation  whose  fetish  is  law  rather  than  justice  and  mercy 
cannot  long  rule  the  world. 

Companion  to  this  is  ''The  Last  Token,"  by  Gabriel 
Max.  Here  is  again  a  bit  of  the  arena;  but  now  a  young 

XXV 


INTRODUCTION 

girl,  a  Christian  martyr,  is  the  Roman  victim.  She 
stands  among  savage  leopards  and  hyenas  ready  to 
spring  upon  her;  she  knows  her  fate  and  asks  no  mercy. 
But  far  up  in  the  seats  above  some  loving  friend  has 
dropped  at  her  feet  a  rose,  "the  last  token";  and  with 
one  hand  on  the  wall  to  balance  her  swaying  steps  she 
forgets  for  the  instant  the  death  that  lies  before  her 
and  gazes  upward  to  the  face  of  the  friend  whose  love 
will  help  her  to  meet  the  horrors  of  the  next  moment. 
Here,  too,  is  history,  and  also  prophecy.  A  new  element 
has  entered  into  Roman  life.  Spiritual  courage,  rather 
than  physical,  is  winning  admiration,  the  leaven  of 
sympathy  for  pain  and  suffering  is  working  in  the  piti- 
less Roman  character.  This,  too,  is  not  only  a  vivid 
painting,  but  a  chapter  of  history. 

There  is  a  vast  amount  of  history  in  songs  and  poems. 
"He  who  writes  the  songs  of  a  nation  rules  the  na- 
tion" is  an  old  saying.  But  is  it  not  nearer  the  truth 
to  say  that  the  song  is  the  heart  of  the  people,  their 
wishes  and  their  resolutions,  the  thoughts  of  the  many 
put  into  the  words  of  the  one?  Such  songs  as  "The 
Watch  on  the  Rhine,"  "The  Marseillaise,"  "God  Save 
the  King,"  "My  Country,  'tis  of  Thee,"  "Men  of 
Harlech,"  Hale's  "Marching  Song  of  Stark's  Men," 
Burns's  "Bruce  at  Bannockburn,"  Browning's  "Songs 
of  the  Cavaliers,"  do  not  portray  events,  but  they  do 
arouse  the  spirit  which  brought  them  into  being;  and 
thus,  by  a  most  delicate  but  most  irresistible  method, 
they  teach  history  by  bringing  us  into  the  spirit  of  the 
circumstances  which  inspired  their  writers.  The  more 
descriptive  poems,  such  as  "Chevy  Chase,"  Macaulay's 
"Battle  of  Naseby,"  Scott's  "Bonnie  Dundee,"  the 

xxvi 


INTRODUCTION 

"Star-spangled  Banner,"  Drayton's  "Agincourt," 
Byron's  "Destruction  of  Sennacherib,"  Macaulay's 
"Horatius  at  the  Bridge,"  may  not,  indeed,  have  the 
minute  and  mechanical  accuracy  of  a  photograph;  but 
they  vivify  the  action,  they  so  arouse  the  imagination 
that  we  almost  feel  ourselves  a  part  of  the  event.  This, 
too,  is  history;  and  it  is  in  reality  far  nearer  "original 
sources"  than  some  of  the  contemporary  and  uninspired 
accounts,  accurate  in  every  detail  though  they  be,  which 
form  the  body  to  perfection,  but  forget  to  add  the  spirit. 
Historical  paintings  and  poems,  however,  are  hmited 
in  number.  Not  every  episode  in  the  history  of  a  country 
appeals  to  the  painter,  neither  does  it  to  the  poet;  but 
the  story-teller  is  ever  at  hand.  If  a  tale  is  worth  nar- 
rating, there  is  always  some  one  eager  to  tell  it;  usually 
there  are  many,  and  we  may  choose  among  numerous 
versions.  The  well-written  historical  story,  whether  it 
stands  alone  or  whether  it  comes  from  the  heart  of 
some  ponderous  publication  of  many  volumes,  takes 
time  to  linger,  to  describe,  to  picture,  to  trace  the  details 
that  make  for  vividness,  that  give  a  conviction  of  truth. 
It  is  to  narrative,  then,  that  we  must  turn  for  our  most 
unfailing  help  in  trying  to  win  familiarity  with  the  chron- 
icles of  other  countries.  We  must  search  not  only  for 
thrilling  tales  of  battles  and  conspicuous  deeds  of  hero- 
ism, but  for  the  simple  annals  of  the  masses  of  the  people. 
Moreover,  what  were  looked  upon  at  the  time  of  their 
occurrence  as  important  events  are  not  invariably  those 
which  time  has  proved  to  be  of  the  utmost  significance. 
In  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century,  the  coronation 
of  Frederic  III  at  Rome  would  have  seemed  of  far  more 
significance  than  the  fact  that  an  unknown  workman 

xxvii 


INTRODUCTION 

should  be  experimenting  in  an  obscure  little  shop  on  an 
invention  which  must  have  struck  the  copyists  of  the 
monastery  bookrooms  as  trivial  and  imnecessary.  Nev- 
ertheless, the  occupation  of  the  copyist  is  long  since  van- 
ished, and  no  one  remembers  much  about  Frederic  III; 
but  Gutenberg's  printing  has  revolutionized  the  world. 

But  the  history  of  a  country  is  by  no  means  made  up 
of  "events,"  even  such  important  ones  as  the  invention 
of  printing.  What  people  thought  of  the  occurrences  of 
their  own  day  is  always  interesting,  and  does  much  to 
bring  us  into  the  spirit  of  the  times  in  which  they  lived. 
Stray  sentences  from  letters  are  pictures  and  chapters 
of  history  together.  After  Cabot  returned  to  England 
from  his  discoveries  in  America,  the  Venetian  ambassador 
wrote  home,  "Honors  are  heaped  upon  Cabot;  he  is 
called  Grand  Admiral,  he  is  dressed  in  silk,  and  the 
English  run  after  him  like  madmen."  Could  anything 
make  one  feel  more  like  a  spectator  than  this  one  sen- 
tence, with  its  slight  disdain  of  the  English  enthusiasm 
and  possibly  a  bit  of  patriotic  jealousy  of  the  fortunate 
country  under  whose  auspices  Cabot  had  set  sail  ? 

There  are  two  classes  of  historical  narrations,  both  of 
which  may  well  find  a  place  in  conveying  knowledge  of 
the  past.  They  may  either  be  made  up  of  facts  alone, 
or  they  may  cast  about  those  facts  that  richness  and 
glow  of  the  imagination  which  make  yesterday  seem  hke 
to-day.  The  first  class  of  stories  may,  indeed,  hardly 
differ  from  an  account  or  description,  save  that  they 
as  far  as  possible  tell  the  tale  of  some  distinct  episode 
and  have  a  definite  beginning,  middle,  and  end.  Both 
must  be  interesting,  vivid,  and  correct.  Both  must  be 
true  to  the  known  facts;  but  the  second  has  the  oppor- 

xxviii 


INTRODUCTION 

tunity  to  picture  not  only  a  special  event,  but  also  the 
human  feelings  circling  around  that  event,  and  therefore 
may  be  true  in  a  wider  sense  than  the  first.  For  instance, 
the  heroine  of  "  Quo  Vadis,"  the  beautiful  Lygia,  never 
existed,  neither  did  her  gigantic  protector,  the  powerful 
Ursus ;  but  both  are  drawn  in  accordance  with  what  such 
persons  were  likely  to  be  in  those  times.  Their  pathetic 
experiences  and  thrilling  adventures  are  such  things  as 
did  occur.  Therefore  this  portrayal  is  as  true  as  a  list 
of  dates,  but  it  is  broadly,  humanly  true;  it  is  history, 
but  it  is  history  made  vivid  by  the  author's  dramatic 
presentation  and  skillful  drawing  of  character. 

Even  in  folk-lore  and  fable  there  is  truth  in  plenty,  and 
no  history  can  safely  overlook  them  and  the  facts  that 
they  suggest.  Emerson  says,  "The  beautiful  fables  of 
the  Greeks  .  .  .  are  universal  verities."  The  "fairy 
tales"  of  the  little  brown  gnomes  of  England,  for 
instance,  who  hid  themselves  in  holes  by  day  and  who 
were  in  constant  dread  of  the  touch  of  iron,  may  well 
suggest  the  men  of  the  Stone  Age  and  their  fear  of 
those  who  had  learned  to  work  in  metals.  The  truth  of 
this  sort  of  story  rests  less  upon  what  it  tells  than  upon 
what  it  indicates;  for  instance,  it  is  quite  possible  that 
King  Arthur  never  had  a  round  table,  perhaps  there 
never  was  any  King  Arthur;  but  the  tales  of  his  prowess 
and  that  of  his  knights  indicate  faithfully  the  stubborn 
resistance  of  the  Britons  to  the  conquering  Saxons.  In 
like  manner  it  may  well  be  that  there  never  was  any 
living,  tangible  Robin  Hood;  but  the  legends  of  his 
seizing  from  the  rich  and  bestowing  upon  the  poor 
typify  the  restlessness  of  his  supposed  times,  and  the 
vague  feeling  of  the  masses  of  the  people  that  he  who 

xxix 


INTRODUCTION 

possessed  a  shilling  was  necessarily  the  oppressor  of  him 
who  possessed  none.  The  impossible  exploits  of  the  Cid 
are  not  in  themselves  facts,  but  they  make  vivid  in  most 
picturesque  fashion  the  sort  of  man  who  was  a  hero  to 
the  Spaniards  of  the  eleventh  century. 

History  takes  all  knowledge  to  be  its  province.  The 
physical  geography  of  a  country  is  an  important  part  of  its 
story.  That  of  Greece,  for  example,  was  such  as  to  shut 
in,  by  ranges  of  mountains,  little  groups  of  people,  each 
in  its  separate  valley,  and  forbid  the  ease  of  intercourse 
that  would  have  made  for  a  lasting  union  among  them. 
In  Latium,  on  the  other  hand,  the  clustering  together  of 
some  hills  of  moderate  height  made  possible  the  power- 
ful Roman  state.  The  manners  and  customs  of  a  people 
are  a  part  of  its  history;  and  so  are  their  pleasures,  even 
the  sports  and  games  of  their  children.  The  homes  of 
the  people,  their  physical  skill  which  manages  a  kayak, 
or  their  intellectual  ability  which  controls  an  ocean 
liner,  their  inventions  and  discoveries,  their  ideals  of 
greatness  —  all  these  are  parts  of  the  history  of  a  nation. 

It  is  with  such  thoughts  in  mind  that  these  volumes 
of  "  The  World's  Story"  have  been  compiled.  He  who 
reads  them  may  wander  from  country  to  country  purely 
for  amusement,  as  a  luxurious  traveler  might  do;  he  may 
make  a  study  of  his  reading  and  compare  the  customs, 
the  heroes,  the  achievements,  and  the  ideals  of  the 
various  lands;  or  he  may,  if  he  will,  take  these  for  a 
starting-point  and  strike  out  roads  of  his  own  through 
the  spacious  realms  of  the  story  of  the  world  which,  to 
him  who  will  but  read  it  aright,  is  forever  old  and  yet 
forever  new. 

Eva  March  Tappan. 


CHINA 

I 

IN   THE    EARLIEST    DAYS 


HISTORICAL   NOTE 

According  to  Chinese  mythology,  there  was  once  a  mighty 
egg,  wherein  there  dwelt  a  living  being  known  as  Poon-Koo- 
Wong.  Suddenly  this  egg  broke  into  two  parts.  The  upper 
became  the  heavens  and  the  lower  the  earth.  Poon-Koo- 
Wong  stretched  forth  his  right  hand,  and  behold  the  sun  was 
created;  he  stretched  forth  his  left,  and  the  moon  and  the 
stars  were  made.  At  the  feet  of  Poon-Koo-Wong  lay  a  piece 
of  gold  and  a  piece  of  wood.  He  breathed  upon  them  and 
straightway  two  clouds  arose.  In  the  vapor  from  the  gold 
stood  man,  and  in  that  from  the  wood  stood  woman;  and 
from  these  two  have  come  all  the  people  of  all  the  world. 

Tradition  says  that  nearly  3000  years  before  the  birth  of 
Christ  a  tribe  of  wanderers  made  their  way  from  the  west  to 
what -is  now  the  province  of  Shan-si,  and  began  to  cultivate 
the  ground.  One  ruler  followed  another,  and  each  taught  his 
people  something  of  value.  One  showed  them  how  to  make 
huts  by  weaving  together  the  boughs  of  trees ;  another  rubbed 
two  sticks  together  and  produced  fire;  a  third  chanced  to 
build  a  fire  on  the  dark  brown  soil,  and  when  the  flames  had 
died  away,  there  lay  bits  of  metal  among  the  ashes,  and 
these  were  iron.  Later,  another  ruler  invented  the  plow;  and 
the  wife  of  yet  another  unwound  the  thread  of  the  silkworm, 
spun  it,  and  wove  it  into  a  web  of  silk.  Far  more  startling 
than  these  exploits  was  the  feat  of  one  Chin-nung,  who  is 
declared  to  have  discovered  in  one  day  seventy  species  of 
poisonous  plants  and  also  an  antidote  for  every  one  of  them. 

Behind  these  stories  we  can  see  the  wandering  tribes  of 
herdsmen  slowly  developing  into  tillers  of  the  soil  and  form- 
ing a  compact  nation.  As  the  centuries  pass  their  history 
grows  clearer  until  in  the  twelfth  century  B.C.  China  at 
length  emerges  from  the  twilight  land  of  legend,  as  a  civilized 
nation  with  a  feudal  government  very  similar  to  that  of 
Japan. 


SHUN  OF  YU 
WHO   CONTROLLED  THE  FLOODS 

BY  CONFUCIUS 

[The  most  famous  man  that  ever  lived  in  China  was  the 
philosopher  Confucius.  He  studied  the  ancient  records, 
picked  out  everything  that  he  thought  was  worth  saving, 
and  put  his  information  together  in  the  Shoo  King,  or  history 
hook.  His  story  begins  in  2356  B.C.,  when  Yaou,  the  model 
emperor,  was  on  the  throne. 

The  Editor.] 

The  emperor  said,  "Who  will  search  out  for  me  a 
man  according  to  the  times,  whom  I  may  raise  and 
employ?"  Fang-ts'e  said,  "There  is  your  heir-son, 
Choo,  who  is  highly  intelligent."  The  emperor  said, 
"Alas!  he  is  insincere  and  quarrelsome;  can  he  do?" 

The  emperor  said,  "Who  will  search  out  for  me  a  man 
equal  to  the  exigency  of  my  affairs?"  Hwan-tow  said, 
"  Oh!  there  is  the  Minister  of  Works,  whose  merits  have 
just  been  displayed  in  various  ways."  The  emperor  said, 
"Alas!  when  unemployed,  he  can  talk;  but  when  em- 
ployed, his  actions  turn  out  differently.  He  is  respectful 
only  in  appearance.   See!  the  floods  assail  the  heavens." 

The  emperor  said,  "Oh!  chief  of  the  four  mountains, 
destructive  in  their  overflow  are  the  waters  of  the  inun- 
dation. In  their  vast  extent  they  embrace  the  mountains 
and  overtop  the  hills,  threatening  the  heavens  with 
their  floods,  so  that  the  inferior  people  groan  and  mur- 
mur. Is  there  a  capable  man  to  whom  I  can  assign  the 
correction  of  this  calamity?  "  All  in  the  court  said,  "  Oh! 


CHINA 

there  is  K'wan."  The  emperor  said,  "Alas!  no,  by  no 
means!  He  is  disobedient  to  orders,  and  tries  to  injure 
his  peers."  His  Eminence  said,  "  Well,  but  —  try  him, 
and  then  you  can  have  done  with  him."  The  emperor 
said  to  K'wan,  "  Go;  and  be  reverent!"  For  nine  years 
he  labored,  but  the  work  was  unaccomplished. 

The  emperor  said,  "Oh!  you  chief  of  the  four  moun- 
tains, I  have  been  on  the  throne  for  seventy  years.  You 
can  carry  out  my  appointments;  —  I  will  resign  my 
throne  to  you."  His  Eminence  said,  "I  have  not  the 
virtue.  I  should  only  disgrace  the  imperial  seat."  The 
emperor  said,  "  Point  out  some  one  among  the  illustrious, 
or  set  forth  one  from  among  the  poor  and  mean."  All 
in  court  said  to  the  emperor,  "There  is  an  unmarried 
man  among  the  lower  people  called  Shun  of  Yu."  The 
emperor  said,  "  Yes,  I  have  heard  of  him.  What  is  his 
character?"  His  Eminence  said,  "He  is  the  son  of  a 
blind  man.  His  father  was  obstinately  unprincipled;  his 
stepmother  was  insincere;  his  half-brother  Seang  was 
arrogant.  He  has  been  able,  however,  by  his  filial  piety 
to  live  in  harmony  with  them,  and  to  lead  them  gradu- 
ally to  self-government,  so  that  they  no  longer  proceed 
to  great  wickedness."  The  emperor  said,  "I  will  try 
him!  I  will  wive  him,  and  then  see  his  behavior  with 
my  two  daughters."  On  this  he  gave  orders  and  sent 
down  his  two  daughters  to  the  north  of  the  Kwei  to  be 
wives  in  the  family  of  Yu.  The  emperor  said  to  them, 
"Be  reverent." 

[Yu  appears  before  the  emperor  to  make  his  report.] 

The  emperor  said,  "  Come,  Yu,  you  also  must  have 
admirable  words  to  bring  before  me."  Yu  did  obeisance 


SHUN  OF  YU 

and  said,  "Oh!  what  can  I  say  after  Kaou-yaou,  O 
emperor?  I  can  only  think  of  maintaining  a  daily 
assiduity."  Kaou-yaou  said,  "Alas!  will  you  describe 
it?"  Yu  said,  "  The  inundating  waters  seemed  to  assail 
the  heavens,  and  in  their  vast  extent  embraced  the 
mountains  and  overtopped  the  hills,  so  that  people  were 
bewildered  and  overwhelmed.  I  mounted  my  four 
conveyances,  and  all  along  the  hills  hewed  down  the 
woods,  at  the  same  time  showing  the  multitudes  how  to 
get  flesh  to  eat.  I  also  opened  passages  for  the  streams 
throughout  the  nine  provinces  and  conducted  them  to 
the  sea.  I  deepened,  moreover,  the  channels  and  canals, 
and  conducted  them  to  the  streams,  at  the  same  time 
along  with  Tseih  sowing  grain  and  showing  the  multi- 
tudes how  to  procure  the  food  of  toil  in  addition  to  flesh 
meat.  I  urged  them  further  to  exchange  what  they  had 
for  what  they  had  not,  and  to  dispose  of  their  accumu- 
lated stores.  In  this  way  all  the  people  got  grain  to  eat, 
and  all  the  states  began  to  come  under  good  rule." 
Kaou-yaou  said,  "Yes;  we  ought  to  model  ourselves 
after  your  excellent  words." 

[A  story  has  been  handed  down  that  in  memory  of  Yu's 
feat  of  engineering  a  record  was  cut  on  a  rock,  high  up  on  one 
of  the  mountains  of  sacrifice.  Whether  this  is  true  or  not,  no 
one  can  say;  but  some  of  the  Chinese  historians  have  the 
utmost  confidence  in  the  tradition.] 

The  venerable  emperor  said,  "Oh!  aid  and  counsellor! 
Who  will  help  me  in  administering  my  affairs?  The  great 
and  little  islets  [i.e.,  the  inhabited  places],  even  to  their 
summits,  the  abodes  of  the  beasts  and  birds  and  all 
beings,  are  widely  inundated.  Advise,  send  back  the 
waters  and  raise  the  dikes.  For  a  long  time  I  have  quite 


CHINA 

forgotten  my  family;  I  repose  on  the  top  of  the  Moun- 
tain Yohlu.  By  prudence  and  my  labors,  I  have  moved 
the  spirits;  I  know  not  the  hours,  but  repose  myself  only 
in  my  incessant  labors.  The  mountains,  Hwa,  Yoh,  Tai, 
and  Hang,  have  been  the  beginning  and  end  of  my  enter- 
prise ;  when  my  labors  were  completed,  I  ofifered  a  thanks- 
giving sacrifice  at  the  solstice.  My  affiiction  has  ceased ; 
the  confusion  in  nature  has  disappeared;  the  deep  cur- 
rents coming  from  the  south  flow  into  the  sea ;  clothes  can 
now  be  made,  food  can  be  prepared;  all  kingdoms  will 
be  at  peace,  and  we  can  give  ourselves  to  continual  joy." 

[For  many  years  Yu  continued  to  show  himself  wise  and 
sagacious  and  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  the  kingdom.  One 
day  the  emperor  sent  for  him  and  the  following  conversation 
took  place.] 

The  emperor  said,  "  Yu,  I  have  occupied  the  imperial 
throne  for  thirty  and  three  years.  I  am  between  ninety 
and  a  hundred  years  old,  and  the  laborious  duties  weary 
me.  Do  you,  eschewing  all  indolence,  take  the  leader- 
ship of  my  people."  Yu  said,  "My  virtue  is  not  equal 
to  the  position;  the  people  will  not  repose  in  me.  But 
there  is  Kaou-yaou,  with  vigorous  activity  sowing 
abroad  his  virtue,  which  has  descended  on  the  black- 
haired  people,  till  they  cherish  him  in  their  hearts.  O 
emperor,  think  of  him !  When  I  think  of  him,  my  mind 
rests  on  him  as  the  man  for  this  ofl&ce;  when  I  would  put 
him  out  of  my  thoughts,  they  still  rest  on  him;  when  I 
name  and  speak  of  him,  my  mind  rests  on  him  for  this; 
the  sincere  outgoing  of  my  thoughts  about  him  is  that 
he  is  the  man.  O  emperor,  think  of  his  merits!" 

The  emperor  said,  "Kaou-yaou,  that  of  these  my 
ministers  and  people  hardly  one  is  found  to  offend 

6 


SHUN   OF  YU 

against  the  regulations  of  my  government  is  owing  to 
your  being  the  Minister  of  Crime,  and  intelligent  in  the 
use  of  the  five  punishments  to  assist  the  inculcation  of  the 
five  duties,  with  a  view  to  the  perfection  of  my  govern- 
ment, and  that  through  punishment  there  may  come  to 
be  no  punishments,  but  the  people  accord  with  the  path 
of  the  Mean.  Continue  to  be  strenuous."  Kaou-yaou 
said,  "Your  virtue,  O  emperor,  is  faultless.  You  con- 
descend to  your  ministers  with  a  liberal  ease;  you  preside 
over  the  multitude  with  a  generous  forbearance.  Pun- 
ishments do  not  extend  to  the  criminal's  heirs;  while 
rewards  reach  to  after  generations.  You  pardon  inad- 
vertent faults,  however  great,  and  punish  purposed 
crimes,  however  small.  In  cases  of  doubtful  crimes,  you 
deal  with  them  lightly;  in  cases  of  doubtful  merit,  you 
prefer  the  high  estimation.  Rather  than  put  to  death 
an  innocent  person,  you  will  run  the  risk  of  irregularity 
and  error.  This  life-loving  virtue  has  penetrated  the 
minds  of  the  people,  and  this  is  why  they  do  not  render 
themselves  Hable  to  be  punished  by  your  officers."  The 
emperor  said,  "To  enable  me  to  follow  after  and  obtain 
what  I  desire  in  my  government,  the  people  everywhere 
responding  as  if  moved  by  the  wind;  —  this  is  your 
excellence." 

The  emperor  said,  "Come,  Yu.  The  inundating 
waters  filled  me  with  dread,  when  you  realized  all  that 
you  represented  and  accomplished  your  task,  —  thus 
showing  your  superiority  to  other  men.  Without  any 
prideful  presumption,  there  is  not  one  in  the  empire  to 
contest  with  you  the  palm  of  ability;  without  any  boast- 
ing, there  is  not  one  in  the  empire  to  contest  with  you 
the  claim  of  merit.  I  see  how  great  is  your  virtue,  how 

7 


CHINA 

admirable  your  vast  achievements;  the  determinate 
appointment  of  Heaven  rests  on  your  person;  you  must 
eventually  ascend  the  throne  of  the  great  sovereign. 
The  mind  of  man  is  restless,  —  prone  to  err;  its  afl&nity 
for  the  right  way  is  small.  Be  discriminating,  be  undi- 
vided, that  you  may  sincerely  hold  fast  the  Mean.  Do 
not  listen  to  unsubstantiated  words;  do  not  follow 
undeliberated  plans.  Of  all  who  are  to  be  loved,  is  not 
the  sovereign  the  chief?  Of  all  who  are  to  be  feared,  are 
not  the  people  chief  ?  If  the  multitude  were  without  the 
sovereign,  whom  should  they  sustain  aloft?  If  the  sov- 
ereign had  not  the  multitude,  there  would  be  none  to 
guard  the  country  for  him.  Be  reverent.  Carefully 
demean  yourself  on  the  throne  which  you  will  occupy, 
respectfully  cultivating  the  virtues  which  are  to  be 
desired  in  you.  If  within  the  four  seas  there  be  distress 
and  poverty,  your  Heaven-conferred  revenues  will 
come  to  a  perpetual  end.  It  is  the  mouth  which  sends 
forth  what  is  good,  and  gives  rise  to  war.  My  words  I 
will  not  repeat." 

Yu  said,  "  Submit  the  meritorious  ministers  one  by 
one  to  the  trial  of  divination,  and  let  the  fortunate  indi- 
cation be  followed."  The  emperor  said,  "  Yu,  the  officer 
of  divination,  when  the  mind  has  been  made  up  on  a 
subject,  then  refers  it  to  the  great  tortoise.  Now,  in  this 
matter,  my  mind  was  determined  in  the  first  place.  I 
consulted  and  deliberated  with  all  my  ministers  and 
people,  and  they  were  of  one  accord  with  me.  The 
spirits  signified  their  assent,  the  tortoise  and  grass  hav- 
ing both  concurred.  Divination,  when  fortunate,  may 
not  be  repeated."  Yu  did  obeisance  with  his  head  to  the 
ground,  and  firmly  declined  the  throne.   The  emperor 

8 


SHUN   OF  YU 

said,  "  Do  not  do  so.  It  is  you  who  can  suitably  occupy 
my  place."  On  the  first  morning  of  the  first  month,  Yu 
received  the  appointment  in  the  temple  of  the  spiritual 
Ancestor,  and  took  the  leading  of  all  the  officers,  as  had 
been  done  at  the  commencement  of  the  emperor's 
government. 


II 

CONFUCIUS   AND    HIS   AGE 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

The  period  of  the  Chow  Dynasty  (1122-255  B.C.)  is  the 
Golden  Age  of  China.  It  is  marked  by  the  development  of 
literature  and  art  and  by  the  teachings  of  the  philosophers. 
The  first  of  the  great  sages  was  Laotze,  founder  of  the  Taoist 
religion  with  its  watchword  of  "Tao"  (Reason).  His  fame  is 
obscured,  however,  by  that  of  his  disciple,  Confucius,  whose 
writings  have  probably  had  greater  influence  than  those  of 
any  other  human  being.  Mencius,  the  last  of  the  classic  phi- 
losophers, was  later  than  Confucius  by  about  one  hundred 
years. 


THE  STORY  OF   CONFUCIUS 

BY  REV.  A.  W.  LOOMIS 
[549-476  B.C.] 

Confucius,  as  a  sage  and  religious  teacher,  is  regarded 
by  his  countrymen  as  the  greatest  man  China  has  pro- 
duced. He  was  unquestionably  an  extraordinary  man, 
remarkable  in  the  influence  he  exercised  over  his  coun- 
trymen when  alive,  and  the  still  greater  influence  he  has 
ever  since  exercised  by  his  writings.  Confucius  was 
born  about  five  hundred  and  forty-nine  years  before 
Christ,  in  the  Kingdom  of  Loo,  a  portion  of  northeastern 
China,  nearly  corresponding  with  the  modern  Province 
of  Shantung.  At  that  time  China  was  divided  into  nine 
independent  states,  and  it  was  not  till  three  centuries 
later  that  it  was  united  into  one  kingdom.  From  his 
earliest  years,  Confucius  was  distinguished  by  an  eager 
pursuit  of  knowledge.  From  his  father,  who  was  prime 
minister  of  the  state  in  which  he  lived,  he  inherited  a 
taste  for  political  studies ;  but  being  left  an  orphan  when 
still  but  a  child,  he  was  educated  for  the  most  part  in 
retirement  by  his  mother  Ching  and  his  grandfather 
Coum-tse.  The  anecdotes  which  are  related  of  his  boy- 
hood tend  to  show  that  he  was  distinguished  by  those 
qualities  most  highly  esteemed  by  his  countrymen,  and 
afterwards  most  strictly  enforced  by  himself  —  a  pro- 
found reverence  for  his  parents  and  ancestors,  and  for 
the  teaching   of   the   ancient  sages.    "Coum-tse,   his 

13 


CHINA 

grandfather,"  says  one  of  his  biographers,  "was  one  day 
sitting  absorbed  in  a  melancholy  reverie,  in  the  course 
of  which  he  fetched  several  deep  sighs.  The  child, 
observing  him,  after  some  time  approached,  and  with 
many  bows  and  formal  reverences,  spoke  thus:  'If  I 
may  presume,  without  violating  the  respect  I  owe  you, 
sir,  to  inquire  into  the  cause  of  your  grief,  I  would 
gladly  do  so.  Perhaps  you  fear  that  I  who  am  descended 
from  you  may  reflect  discredit  on  your  memory  by 
failing  to  imitate  your  virtues.'  His  grandfather,  sur- 
prised, asked  him  where  he  had  learned  to  speak  so 
wisely.  'From  yourself,  sir,'  he  repHed;  'I  listen  atten- 
tively to  your  words,  and  I  have  often  heard  you  say 
that  a  son  who  does  not  imitate  the  virtues  of  his  ances- 
tors deserves  not  to  bear  their  name.'" 

The  position  which  his  father  had  held  in  the  state 
seems  to  have  inspired  Confucius  at  an  early  age  with  a 
desire  to  distinguish  himself  in  moral  and  pohtical 
studies,  and  prompted  him  to  investigate  the  early 
history  of  his  country.  He  labored  zealously  to  fit  him- 
self for  fiUing  offices  of  high  political  trust;  and  in  his 
endeavors  to  master  the  learning  of  the  early  sages  he 
was  ably  assisted  by  his  grandfather.  He  married  at 
nineteen  years  of  age,  and  is  said  to  have  divorced  his 
wife  a  few  years  afterwards,  when  she  had  given  birth 
to  a  son,  that  he  might  devote  himself  without  inter- 
ruption to  study;  but  owing  to  the  general  contempt  of 
women  in  the  East,  the  subject  is  only  slightly  alluded 
to  by  his  biographers. 

He  entered  upon  pohtical  employment  at  twenty 
years  of  age,  as  "superintendent  of  cattle,"  an  office 
probably  estabhshed  that  the  revenue  might  not  be 

14 


THE  STORY  OF  CONFUCIUS 

defrauded,  and  necessary  where  much  of  it  was  paid  in 
kind.  In  this  situation,  his  reverence  for  antiquity  and 
the  ancients  did  not  prevent  Confucius  from  attempting 
reforms  and  checking  long-estabUshed  abuses.  Under 
his  administration,  men  who  were  dishonest  were  dis- 
missed, and  a  general  inquiry  was  set  on  foot  with  a  view 
to  the  reformation  of  all  that  was  unworthy  or  perni- 
cious. The  activity  of  Confucius  brought  him  into  favor 
with  his  sovereign,  and  he  was  promoted  to  the  ''dis- 
tribution of  the  grain,"  an  office  of  which  it  is  not  easy  to 
discover  the  nature.  Whatever  were  his  duties,  however, 
the  energy  that  Confucius  displayed  was  extremely  dis- 
tasteful to  his  colleagues.  He  was  now  in  the  vigorous  man- 
hood of  thirty-five,  and  the  eyes  of  the  nation  were  turned 
to  him  as  their  future  prime  minister,  when  a  revolution 
occurred  in  the  state  which  drove  him  from  power. 

Deprived  of  his  office,  he  wandered  for  eight  years 
through  the  various  provinces  of  China,  teaching  as  he 
went,  but  without  as  yet  making  any  great  impression 
upon  the  mass  of  the  people.  He  returned  to  Loo  in  his 
forty-third  year.  His  enemies,  during  those  eight  years, 
had  gradually  lost  their  authority;  and  he  was  again 
employed  in  pohtical  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility. 
Immorality  prevailed  at  this  time  to  a  frightful  extent. 
Confucius  set  himself  up  fearlessly  as  a  teacher  of  virtue. 
His  admonitions  were  not  thrown  away;  and  having 
gained  the  approbation  of  the  king  a  few  years  after  his 
return  from  exile,  he  was  appointed  prime  minister  with 
almost  absolute  authority.  The  enemies  of  order  and 
virtue  excited  troubles  on  his  elevation;  but  Confucius 
sternly  repressed  the  symptoms  of  dissatisfaction,  and 
though  of  compassionate  disposition,  he  did  not  hesitate 

IS 


CHINA 

to  resort  to  capital  punishment  when  necessary  to  rid 
himself  of  his  enemies. 

Reformation  made  rapid  strides  in  the  territories  of 
Loo;  the  nobles  became  more  just  and  equitable;  the 
poor  were  not  oppressed  as  before;  roads,  bridges,  and 
canals  were  formed.  "The  food  of  the  people,"  says  his 
biographer,  "was  the  first  care;  it  was  not  until  that  had 
been  secured  in  abundance  that  the  revenues  of  the 
state  were  directed  to  the  advancement  of  commerce, 
the  improvement  of  the  bridges  and  highways,  the  im- 
partial administration  of  justice,  and  the  repression  of 
the  bands  of  robbers  that  infested  the  mountains."  For 
four  years  he  steadily  persevered  in  his  endeavors,  until 
Loo  began  to  be  regarded  as  a  model  state  by  the  sur- 
rounding kingdoms.  At  length,  however,  a  strong  party 
rose  against  the  sage;  and  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven,  he 
was  driven  once  more  from  his  native  state  to  wander 
as  a  teacher  through  the  different  provinces  of  China. 

On  leaving  Loo,  Confucius  first  bent  his  steps  west- 
ward to  the  State  of  Wei,  situate  about  where  the  pres- 
ent Provinces  of  Chih-le  and  Ho-nan  adjoin.  He  was 
now  in  his  fifty-eighth  year,  and  felt  depressed  and  mel- 
ancholy. As  he  went  along,  he  gave  expression  to  his 
feelings  in  verse :  — 

Fain  would  I  still  look  towards  Loo, 

But  this  Kwei  hill  cuts  o£f  my  view. 

With  an  axe,  I'd  hew  these  thickets  through:  — 

Vain  thought!  'gainst  the  hill  I  naught  can  do. 

And  again:  — 

Through  the  valley  howls  the  blast, 
Drizzling  rain  falls  thick  and  fast. 
Homeward  goes  the  youthful  bride 
O'er  the  wild,  crowds  by  her  side. 

i6 


THE  STORY  OF   CONFUCIUS 

How  is  it,  0  azure  Heaven, 
From  my  home  I  thus  am  driven, 
Through  the  land  my  way  to  trace 
With  no  certain  dweUing-place  ? 
Dark,  dark,  the  minds  of  men ! 
Worth  in  vain  comes  to  their  ken. 
Hasten  on,  my  term  of  years: 
Old  age,  desolate,  disappears. 

It  was  only  by  concealment  and  disguise  that  the  life 
of  the  exiled  prime  minister  was  preserved.  For  twelve 
years  he  wandered  from  province  to  province,  at  first 
harassed,  persecuted,  hunted,  but  after  a  while  allowed 
to  travel  unmolested.  A  faithful  little  band  of  disciples 
collected  around  him  in  his  wanderings,  and  their  num- 
bers, as  time  advanced,  might  soon  be  counted  by  thou- 
sands. Seventy-two  of  these,  we  are  told,  were  particu- 
larly attached  to  him,  but  only  ten  of  them  were  "truly 
wise,"  With  these  ten  he  finally  retired,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-nine,  to  a  peaceful  valley  in  his  native  province, 
where,  in  the  midst  of  his  disciples,  he  passed  a  happy 
literary  period  of  five  years,  in  collating  and  annotating 
the  works  of  the  ancients.  These  sacred  books  have 
been  for  twenty-three  centuries  the  fountains  of  wisdom 
and  goodness  to  all  the  educated  of  China.  They  are 
the  works  in  which  every  student  must  be  a  proficient 
ere  he  can  hope  to  advance  in  the  political  arena,  and 
for  twenty-three  centuries  have  had  an  incalculable 
influence  on  a  third  of  the  human  race. 

His  life  was  peacefully  concluded  in  the  midst  of  his 
friends  at  the  age  of  seventy-three,  in  the  valley  to 
which  he  had  retired  five  years  previously. 

A  few  days  before  his  death  he  tottered  about  the 
house,  sighing  out  — 

17 


CHINA 

Tai  shan,  ki  tui  hu! 
Liang  muh,  ki  kwai  hu! 
Chi  jin,  ki  wei  hu! 

The  great  mountain  is  broken! 
The  strong  beam  is  thrown  down! 
The  wise  man  has  decayed! 

He  died  soon  after,  leaving  a  single  descendant,  his 
grandson  Tsz'sz',  through  whom  the  succession  has 
been  transmitted  to  the  present  day.  During  his  life, 
the  return  of  the  Jews  from  Babylon,  the  invasion  of 
Greece  by  Xerxes,  and  the  conquest  of  Egypt  by  the 
Persians,  took  place.  Posthumous  honors  in  great 
variety,  amounting  to  idolatrous  worship,  have  been 
conferred  upon  him.  His  title  is  "the  most  Holy 
Ancient  Teacher  Kung-tsz',"  and  "the  Holy  Duke." 
In  the  reign  of  Kanghi,  two  thousand  one  hundred  and 
fifty  years  after  his  death,  there  were  eleven  thousand 
males  alive  bearing  his  name,  and  most  of  them  of  the 
seventy-fourth  generation,  being  undoubtedly  one  of 
the  oldest  families  in  the  world.  In  the  Sacrificial 
Ritual  a  short  account  of  his  life  is  given,  which  closes 
with  the  following  psean:  — 

Confucius!  Confucius!  How  great  is  Confucius! 
Before  Confucius  there  never  was  a  Confucius! 
Since  Confucius  there  never  has  been  a  Confucius! 
Confucius!  Confucius!  How  great  is  Confucius! 

That  peaceful  valley  in  which  he  died  has  been  for  all 
succeeding  ages  a  sacred  spot  —  a  spot  of  pilgrimage  for 
the  learned  and  the  superstitious;  and  the  Chinese  of 
1867,  amid  conflicting  Buddhism,  Taoism,  and  Roman 
Catholicism,  still  point  with  reverence  to  the  tomb  of 
their  great  sage  in  the  province  of  Shan-tung. 


A  VISIT  TO  A  TEMPLE   OF   CONFUCIUS 

BY  REV.  A.  W.  LOOMIS 

We  now  pushed  on  to  Kjo-feu-hien,  the  city  of  Con- 
fucius, which  we  reached  about  2.30  p.m.  This  city  is 
peopled  chiefly  by  the  descendants  of  the  Great  Sage,  — 
eight  families  out  of  ten  bearing  his  surname.  It  has  two 
south  gates,  the  one  on  the  west  side  being  unused,  and 
opened  only  on  the  visit  of  an  emperor.  This  gate  is  in 
front  of  the  temple  of  Confucius,  and  leads  directly  to 
it.  The  temple  occupied  a  large  portion  of  the  western 
part  of  the  city,  the  chief  part  of  it  standing  on  the  place 
where  Confucius  lived.  Its  arrangement  resembles  that 
usually  adopted  in  buildings  of  a  similar  class  in  China, 
but  on  a  grander  and  more  superb  scale.  Take  it  all  in 
all,  I  have  seen  nothing  like  it  in  other  parts  of  China, 
The  inclosure  is  oblong;  the  building  is  thirteen  halls 
deep.  One  square  is  shut  off  from  another  by  grand 
gates.  There  are  also  two  bridges  crossed  by  a  grand 
avenue  leading  from  the  magnificent  south  gate, 
through  the  inner  gates,  and  on  to  the  main  temple. 
The  squares  are  full  of  tall  old  cypress  trees,  and  the 
sides  of  the  avenue  are  crowded  with  tablets  in  honor 
of  the  sage;  every  dynasty  is  here  represented,  and 
many  of  the  tablets  were  thus  extremely  important. 
Early  in  the  morning  we  set  out  to  view  this  place;  a 
small  fee  soon  opened  the  door,  and  we  found  the  keeper 
obliging.  The  temple  is  divided  in  two  parts  by  a 
thoroughfare  for  the  convenience  of  the  citizens  to 

19 


CHINA 

avoid  a  long  circuit,  the  chief  objects  of  interest  lying  on 
the  north  side.  To  this  we  went,  and  from  the  first 
moment  we  stepped  in  to  the  last,  my  whole  mind  was 
engaged  by  objects  of  interest;  here  on  the  left  hand 
was  a  cypress,  said  to  have  been  planted  by  Confucius 
himself,  and  its  gnarled  and  aged  trunk  bore  evidence  of 
its  great  age;  here  we  were  shown  the  place  where  he 
taught  his  disciples,  now  a  huge  pavilion  open  to  the 
south;  in  it  was  fixed,  in  his  praise,  a  poem  composed 
by  Kien-lung,  engraved  on  a  marble  tablet.  Now 
appeared  the  Grand  Temple,  a  high  building,  for  China, 
and  a  most  spacious  one:  it  was  two-storied,  the  upper 
veranda  on  gorgeous  marble  pillars;  these  pillars  were  at 
least  twenty- two  feet  high,  and  about  ten  feet  in  diam- 
eter; around  them,  carved  in  the  solid  stone,  twined  two 
large  dragons;  the  marble  itself  was  richly  veined.  The 
tiles  of  the  roof  were  of  yellow  porcelain,  as  in  Peking, 
and  the  ornamentation  of  the  eaves  was  all  covered  with 
wire  work,  to  preserve  it  from  the  birds. 

Within  this  building  was  the  image  or  statue  of  Con- 
fucius, like  that  of  Mencius,  only  in  far  richer  style;  he 
sat  in  a  gorgeously  curtained  shrine  holding  a  roll  in  his 
hand,  or  rather,  a  slip  of  bamboo,  as  it  was  this  material 
that  was  used  for  writing  in  his  days.  The  sitting  statue 
was  about  eighteen  feet  by  six  feet,  the  image  was  well 
done  and  lifelike;  he  is  represented  as  a  strong,  well- 
built  man,  with  a  full  red  face  and  large  head,  a  little 
heavy;  he  sits  in  the  attitude  of  contemplation,  his  eyes 
looking  upwards.  He  has  a  much  more  serious,  thought- 
ful aspect  than  Mencius,  but  not  that  straightforward, 
dogged  air  which  the  latter  bore;  his  front  teeth  were 
exposed,  his  nose  thick  and  roimd;  on  the  tablet  was  the 

20 


A  VISIT  TO  A  TEMPLE   OF  CONFUCIUS 

simple  inscription:  "The  Most  Holy  prescient  sage 
Confucius  —  his  spirit's  resting  place." 

On  the  east  were  images  of  his  favorite  disciples 
ranged  in  order,  in  the  estimation  in  which  he  was  said 
to  have  held  them;  that  of  Mencius  occupied  the  west 
side  of  the  building.  The  roof  was  crowded  with  tablets 
in  honor  of  the  sage,  vying  with  one  another  in  extrava- 
gant praise;  before  his  image,  and  also  in  front  of  these, 
were  beautiful  incense  pots,  amongst  them  several  most 
interesting  relics;  here  was  a  clay  dish  said  to  be  of 
Yaou's  time;  also  two  bronze  censers,  one  with  a  lid 
bearing  the  date  of  the  Shang  Dynasty,  the  work  on 
which  was  superb.  Two  bronze  elephants,  dating  from 
the  Chow  Dynasty,  stood  by,  and  a  large  table  of  the 
same  age  made  of  beautiful,  hard,  dark  redwood,  — 
these  things  spoke  volumes  for  the  state  of  the  nation 
in  those  far  back  ages  —  the  moulding  and  carving  were 
most  exquisite. 

Behind  this  hall  stands  a  temple  in  honor  of  the  wife 
of  Confucius.  In  it  was  a  tablet,  but  no  image.  In  the 
second  temple,  yet  farther  back,  are  four  tablets,  erected 
by  Kang-si;  bearing  each  one  of  the  characters  which 
together  mean,  "  The  Teacher  of  Ten  Thousand  Ages." 
Here  also  were  three  engraved  figures  of  the  sage  on 
marble;  one  an  old  man,  full  length,  rather  dim,  having 
no  date;  the  second,  smaller,  with  seal  characters  on  the 
side;  the  third,  and  best,  giving  only  his  head  and 
shoulders.  These  varied  somewhat,  but  were  substan- 
tially alike;  all  of  them  gave  the  mouth  or  lips  open,  the 
front  teeth  exposed,  and  the  eyes  full  and  contemplative. 
Immediately  behind  these  were  incised  drawings  on  mar- 
ble, illustrating  all  the  chief  incidents  in  his  life,  with 

21 


CHINA 

appropriate  explanations  at  the  side;  there  were  alto- 
gether one  hundred  and  twenty  slabs  which  were  built 
into  the  back  wall;  the  greater  part  of  them  were  in 
good  preservation,  and  were  extremely  interesting,  the 
more  so  as  they  gave  us  an  insight  into  the  dress, 
kind  of  furniture,  carriages,  and  houses  of  those  ancient 
times.  To  the  west  of  this  are  two  temples;  that  in 
front,  in  honor  of  the  father  of  the  sage,  who  is  said  to 
have  governed  Yen-chow-fu  and  Tsow-hien;  the  other 
in  honor  of  his  mother.  They  are  plain  temples,  and 
have  no  images,  only  a  tablet  each.  On  the  east  are  also 
temples  to  his  five  ancestors ;  here  towards  the  east  was 
a  large  block  of  marble,  on  which  was  engraven  a 
genealogical  tree,  giving  all  the  branches  of  his  family; 
here  was  also  a  well  from  which  the  sage  drank.  I  got 
the  man  to  let  down  a  bucket  and  tasted  the  water, 
which  was  excellent,  though  a  little  sweetish.  On  this 
side  also  was  another  building  which  he  is  said  to  have 
used  as  his  school. 

The  southern  division  is  less  interesting  than  the 
northern.  It  contains  nothing  but  what  I  have  already 
named:  tablets  innumerable,  cypress  trees,  gates,  walls, 
and  bridges;  there  are  three  gardens,  four  gates,  and 
two  bridges.  The  Duke  Kung,  the  present  head  of  the 
family,  lives  in  a  mansion  adjoining  the  temple  on  the 
west. 


SOME  OF  THE  PROVERBS  OF  CONFUCIUS 

[It  is  said  that  after  the  death  of  Confucius  his  disciples 
bewailed  his  absence  until  they  had  all  lost  their  voices. 
Then  they  set  to  work  to  bring  together  what  they  could 
remember  of  his  teachings. 

The  Editor] 

Four  horses  cannot  overtake  the  tongue. 

Injury  should  be  recompensed  with  kindness. 

A  man  should  say,  "I  am  not  concerned  that  I  have 
no  place;  I  am  concerned  how  I  may  fit  myself  for  one. 
I  am  not  concerned  that  I  am  not  known;  I  seek  to  be 
worthy  to  be  known." 

To  be  fond  of  learning  is  to  be  near  to  knowledge. 

Seek  not  every  quality  in  one  individual. 

The  Master  said:  "Yew,  shall  I  teach  you  what 
knowledge  is?  When  you  know  a  thing,  to  hold  that 
you  know  it,  and  when  you  do  not  know  a  thing,  to 
allow  that  you  do  not  know  it  —  this  is  knowledge." 

What  I  do  not  wish  men  to  do  to  me  I  also  wish  not 
to  do  to  men. 

To  see  what  is  right  and  not  to  do  it  is  a  want  of 
courage. 

The  superior  man  is  distressed  by  his  want  of  ability; 
he  is  not  distressed  by  men's  not  knowing  him. 

The  Master  said,  "  Virtue  is  more  to  man  than  either 
water  or  fire.  I  have  seen  men  die  from  treading  on 
water  or  fire,  but  I  have  never  seen  a  man  die  from 
treading  the  course  of  virtue." 

23 


CHINA 

The  superior  man  thinks  of  virtue;  the  small  man 
thinks  of  comfort. 

There  were  four  things  from  which  the  Master  was 
entirely  free.  He  had  no  foregone  conclusions,  no  arbi- 
trary predeterminations,  no  obstinacy,  and  no  egotism. 


V 


MANNERS  AND    CUSTOMS   OF 
CONFUCIUS'S  DAY 

BY   REV.   WILLIAM   SPEER 

The  northern  part  of  the  country  was  still  divided 
into  the  several  small  principalities  which  had  been 
granted  by  the  emperors  at  different  times  to  their  sons 
and  brothers,  who  constituted  the  only  hereditary 
nobihty  of  the  state,  and  were  all  tributary  to  the  chief 
sovereign.  Each  of  these  petty  states  contained  a  city, 
where  the  prince  resided,  and  all  around  it  were  num- 
erous villages  and  detached  dwellings  inhabited  by  the 
peasantry,  who  held  small  farms,  which  they  cultivated 
for  their  own  advantage,  growing  rice  and  vegetables  in 
abundance,  so  that  every  poor  man  could  support  his 
family  by  his  own  industry.  They  were  not  held  in 
bondage  by  the  great,  like  the  peasantry  of  Europe 
during  the  feudal  ages,  and  amongst  other  privileges 
which  they  enjoyed  were  these :  a  ninth  part  of  the  land 
was  in  common  amongst  them  for  pasturage  and  farm- 
ing, and  all  the  poor  were  at  liberty  to  j&sh  in  the  ponds 
and  lakes  —  a  right  which  was  denied  to  the  lower  orders 
in  feudal  countries,  where  the  mass  of  the  people  were 
vassals  and  slaves.  The  peasants  of  China,  therefore, 
appear  to  have  been  at  that  period  in  a  better  condition 
than  those  of  any  other  part  of  the  world,  working  for 
themselves  and  paying  taxes  to  their  respective  princes, 
who  by  that  means  raised  the  tribute  which  the  emperor 
claimed  of  them. 

25 


CHINA 

At  the  time  of  Confucius  all  taxes  and  tribute  were 
paid  as  they  are  at  present,  chiefly  in  kind  —  usually, 
as  Mencius,  who  lived  in  the  next  generation,  says,  to 
the  amount  of  about  one  tenth  of  the  produce  of  the 
earth.  It  is,  however,  supposed  there  was  always  some 
sort  of  coined  money  current  among  the  Chinese,  and 
that  at  a  very  early  period  of  the  monarchy  they  had 
coins  of  gold  and  silver  as  well  as  of  lead,  iron,  and 
copper;  but  many  ages  have  elapsed  since  any  other 
than  copper  money  has  been  in  use  among  them.  Silver 
is  also  used  as  a  medium  of  exchange,  beaten  out  into 
small  bars  or  pieces,  and  upon  these  responsible  traders 
generally  put  their  stamp  in  a  small  character,  so  that 
they  become  in  time  particularly  ragged  and  broken. 
Yet  even  in  these  bits  adroit  rogues  make  holes  which 
they  fill  with  lead.  In  buying  and  selling,  men  always 
scrutinize  them  carefully  and  weigh  them,  being  al- 
ways provided  with  a  small  pair  of  scales  for  that  pur- 
pose. 

They  reckon  their  accounts  by  means  of  an  instrument 
called  in  the  Canton  dialect  the  sun-pun,  which  resembles 
the  Roman  abacus.  It  consists  of  a  frame  across  which 
are  fastened  thin  rods  of  bamboo.  But  instead  of  ten 
balls,  as  with  us,  the  Chinese  use  seven.  A  cross-bar 
divides  the  frame,  so  that  the  rods  have  on  one  side  five 
balls  each,  on  the  other  side  two  each.  The  two  balls 
on  each  rod  count,  however,  five  apiece.  This  makes 
the  process  of  counting  more  rapid  and  certain.  Com- 
mencing at  any  convenient  rod  or  row,  it  counts  as 
units,  the  second  as  tens,  the  third  as  hundreds,  the 
fourth  as  thousands,  and  so  on.  To  count  five,  either  the 
five  balls  on  the  lower  side  of  the  units  row  are  pushed 

26 


CUSTOMS  OF  CONFUCIUS'S  DAY 

up  or  to  the  middle  with  the  finger,  or  one  of  the  two 
balls  on  the  other  side  of  it.  Ten  is  made  by  the  two 
five  balls,  or  by  one  of  them  and  five  of  the  other  balls. 
And  thus  we  go  on  in  each  row  successively  for  tens, 
hundreds,  or  thousands.  For  any  number  between  five 
and  ten  a  five  ball  is  pushed  to  the  middle  and  the 
remainder  in  single  balls  from  the  other  end  of  the  same 
row.  An  expert  accountant  pushes  the  balls  with  his 
fingers  as  rapidly  in  adding  or  subtracting  as  a  player 
strikes  the  keys  upon  a  piano.  It  is  rarely  a  mistake  is 
made,  and  when  done  it  is  never  to  the  disadvantage  of 
the  accountant.  The  invention  of  the  siin-pun  is  attrib- 
uted to  the  Emperor  Mwang-ti,  the  same  who  is  said  to 
have  found  his  way  through  the  forests  by  means  of  the 
compass. 

Their  arithmetic,  as  well  as  their  weights  and  meas- 
ures, proceeds  universally  on  the  decimal  scale;  and 
decimal  fractions  are  their  vulgar  fractions,  or  those 
in  common  use.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  single  excep- 
tion to  this  consists  in  their  kin,  or  marketing  pound- 
weight,  which,  Hke  ours,  is  divided  into  sixteen  ounces, 
or  parts.  This  affords  another  illustration  of  the  com- 
mon origin  of  the  Chinese  and  our  own  arithmetic  and 
weights  and  measures  in  Central  Asia.  The  Roman 
CathoHc  missionaries  relate  that  when  the  first  of  them 
went  to  China  from  Europe  they  found  Persian  astrono- 
mers at  the  Chinese  Court,  who  yielded  the  field  to  their 
superior  scientific  knowledge.  There  are  still  many 
things  in  the  Chinese  ideas  of  astronomy  which  remind 
us  of  those  of  the  ancient  Chaldaeans. 

There  were  public  markets  in  the  towns  to  which  the 
people  generally  resorted  about  noon;  and  there  were 

27 


CHINA 

shops  also,  where  the  artisans  pursued  their  various 
callings,  and  sold,  or  exchanged  with  the  farmers  the 
produce  of  their  labors  for  rice  and  other  commodities  of 
which  they  stood  in  need.  Beyond  the  cultivated  lands 
were  pastures  for  sheep;  and  the  rest  of  the  country 
generally  consisted  of  extensive  forests,  inhabited  by 
tigers  and  other  beasts  of  prey,  which  were  so  destruc- 
tive, especially  among  the  flocks,  that  great  hunting- 
parties  v/ere  made  every  spring  for  the  purpose  of 
destroying  them;  and  this  dangerous  sport  seems  to 
have  been  the  favorite  amusement  of  the  sovereigns 
and  great  men  of  the  land. 

For  a  long  series  of  years,  trade,  even  with  foreign 
nations,  appears  to  have  been  remarkably  free.  The 
markets  of  China  were  the  resorts  of  foreign  merchants 
before  the  Romans  invaded  Britain,  and  her  ports  were 
annually  visited  by  great  squadrons  of  commercial 
vessels  from  the  Red  Sea,  the  Persian  Gulf,  Ceylon,  the 
Malabar  coast,  and  the  coast  of  Coromandel. 

The  principal  weapons  used  both  in  war  and  hunting 
were  bows  and  arrows;  consequently  the  practice  of 
archery  was  a  constant  and  favorite  sport  of  the  great, 
and  there  were  particular  rules  by  which  it  was  con- 
ducted; as,  for  example,  the  imperial  target  was  the  skin 
of  a  bear,  while  that  of  a  stag  was  set  up  as  a  mark  for  a 
prince  to  aim  at,  and  that  of  a  tiger  for  the  grandees  of 
the  court.  Yet  the  Chinese  have  not  often  during  their 
long  history  attempted  to  enter  the  lists  of  the  world  as 
a  martial  nation,  holding  literature,  as  they  have  done 
husbandry,  in  far  higher  estimation  than  military 
achievements;  regarding  the  man  who  distinguished 
himself  by  his  literary  attainments  beyond  him  who 

28 


CUSTOMS  OF  CONFUCIUS'S  DAY 

gained  renown  by  his  warlike  exploits,  and  the  husband- 
man who  labored  in  the  field  as  a  better  member  of 
society  than  the  soldier  who  fought  in  it.  Yet  the  petty 
princes  were  frequently  at  war  with  each  other,  so  that 
the  whole  of  the  empire  was  seldom  quite  at  peace. 

The  education  of  youth  was  considered  of  so  much 
importance  that  every  district  was  obliged  by  law  to 
maintain  a  public  school,  where  boys  were  sent  at  eight 
years  of  age  to  be  instructed  in  reading,  writing,  arith- 
metic, and  in  their  several  duties  to  parents,  teachers, 
elders,  and  magistrates,  as  well  as  to  their  equals  and 
inferiors.  They  were  also  taught  to  commit  to  memory  a 
great  number  of  wise  maxims  and  moral  sentences  con- 
tained in  the  writings  of  the  ancient  sages ;  and  many  of 
their  lessons  were  in  verse,  that  they  might  be  the  more 
readily  learned  and  remembered.  A  new  school  was 
always  opened  with  much  ceremony  in  the  presence  of 
the  chief  magistrate,  who  delivered  a  discourse  to  the 
boys,  exhorting  them  to  be  diligent  and  submissive  to 
the  master,  and  setting  forth  the  advantages  of  learning, 
which  has  been,  in  every  age,  the  only  road  to  wealth 
and  honors  in  China.  At  fifteen,  those  who  had  most 
distinguished  themselves  were  sent  to  higher  schools, 
where  pubHc  lectures  were  given  by  learned  professors 
on  the  laws  and  government  of  the  empire,  and  such 
subjects  as  were  best  calculated  to  fit  them  for  ofiices  of 
state,  to  which  those  who  attended  these  schools  usually 
aspired,  but  which  were  never  bestowed  on  any  but  such 
as  had  studied  profoundly  and  given  proofs  of  their 
knowledge.  Subordination,  submission  to  the  laws,  to 
parents,  and  to  all  superiors,  and  a  peaceful  demeanor, 
were  strictly  inculcated.  This  instruction  has  continued 

29 


CHINA 

unchanged.  "The  Chinese,"  says  a  modern  writer, 
"teach  contempt  of  the  rude,  instead  of  fighting  with 
them;  and  the  man  who  imreasonably  insults  another 
has  public  opinion  against  him,  whilst  he  who  bears  and 
despises  the  affront  is  esteemed.  A  Chinese  would 
stand  and  reason  with  a  man,  when  an  Englishman 
would  knock  him  down,  or  an  Italian  stab  him.  It  is 
needless  to  say  which  is  the  more  rational  mode  of 
proceeding." 

Among  the  arts  that  are  held  in  high  estimation 
among  the  Chinese  is  that  of  writing,  which  was  known 
at  so  distant  a  period  of  their  history  that  it  must  have 
been  one  of  their  earliest  steps  in  civilization.  This  art, 
as  practiced  in  China,  is  rather  difficult  of  attainment,  on 
account  of  the  number  and  not  very  simple  formation  of 
the  characters;  yet  it  was  rare  to  meet  even  with  a  poor 
peasant  who  could  not  read  and  write,  for  rich  and  poor 
were  all  educated  alike,  in  the  manner  just  described, 
which  is  mentioned  as  "the  ancient  system"  in  books 
that  were  written  more  than  two  thousand  years  ago. 
The  autographs  of  distinguished  men  are  highly  prized. 

The  females  of  China,  from  the  empress  to  the  wife  of 
the  meanest  peasant,  practiced  the  spinning  and  weav- 
ing of  silk;  which  material,  from  the  earhest  times 
known,  was  used  for  clothing  by  the  poor  as  well  as  the 
rich,  for  the  same  reason  that  wool  was  used  by  the 
ancient  English  —  because  it  was  the  material  of  which 
they  had  the  greatest  abundance.  "When  the  king  of 
France,"  says  Barrow,  "introduced  the  luxury  of  silk 
stockings,  the  peasantry  of  the  middle  provinces  of 
China  were  clothed  in  silks  from  head  to  foot;  and 
when  the  nobility  of  England  were  sleeping  on  straw, 

30 


CUSTOMS  OF   CONFUCIUS'S  DAY 

a  peasant  of  China  had  his  mat  and  his  pillow,  and  the 
man  in  office  enjoyed  his  silken  mattress." 

The  empresses  in  those  days  were  as  zealous  in  pro- 
moting the  branches  of  industry  adapted  for  females  by 
their  own  example  as  were  the  emperors  in  encouraging 
agriculture  by  similar  means.  A  plantation  of  mulberry 
trees  was  formed  within  the  gardens  of  the  palace,  and  a 
house  built  purposely  for  rearing  the  silkworms,  which 
were  tended  by  the  ladies  of  the  court  and  often  fed  by 
the  fair  hands  of  royalty.  Every  autumn  a  festival  was 
held  to  commemorate  the  invention  of  silk-weaving, 
when  the  empress,  attended  by  the  princesses  and  ladies 
of  her  train,  made  sacrifices  in  the  temple  of  the  Earth, 
and  then  proceeded  to  her  mulberry  grove,  where  she 
gathered  leaves  and  wound  the  cocoons  of  silk,  which 
were  afterward  spun  and  woven  by  her  own  hands  into 
small  webs.  These  were  carefully  preserved  for  the 
grand  spring  festival,  when  they  were  burned  in  sacri- 
fice. 

Great  attention  was  bestowed  on  the  management  of 
silkworms  throughout  the  whole  of  the  empire ;  and  as  it 
had  been  discovered  that  those  which  were  fed  on  mul- 
berry leaves  produced  a  finer  kind  of  silk  than  the  com- 
mon worms  of  the  forest,  a  law  was  made  by  one  of  the 
early  emperors  that  every  man  possessing  an  estate  of 
not  less  than  five  acres  should  plant  the  boundary  with 
mulberry  trees. 

The  difference  between  the  garments  of  the  higher  and 
lower  orders  consisted  in  the  quahty  and  colors  of  the 
silks  of  which  they  were  composed  and  the  fashion  in 
which  they  were  made.  The  robes  of  the  grandees  were 
often  richly  embroidered  with  gold  and  silver,  and  orna- 

31 


CHINA 

mented  with  various  devices,  according  to  their  rank 
and  occupation.  The  dress  of  a  literary  man  was  orna- 
mented with  a  bird  worked  on  a  square  of  black  silk  on 
the  breast,  or  with  the  figure  of  a  tiger  or  some  other 
animal  or  design ;  and  these  are  among  the  innumerable 
customs  which  have  been  continued  from  that  time  to 
the  present. 

The  wars  among  the  princes,  and  the  efiforts  of  some 
of  them  to  render  themselves  independent  of  the  em- 
peror, led  to  a  vast  deal  of  disorderly  conduct  in  the 
several  states,  each  petty  sovereign  being  more  intent 
upon  his  own  aggrandizement  than  on  keeping  good 
order  among  his  people;  who,  finding  that  the  affairs  of 
government  were  neglected  and  the  laws  seldom  en- 
forced, paid  very  little  attention  to  them.  Such  was  the 
state  of  the  Chinese  Empire  when  the  celebrated  philos- 
opher Confucius  was  born  in  the  Kingdom  of  Lu,  one  of 
the  small  sovereignties  in  the  north  of  China.  This 
event  occurred  when  the  ancient  Greek  republics  were 
in  all  their  glory  and  Rome  was  just  beginning  to  rise 
into  power  and  greatness.  The  Greeks  and  Romans, 
however,  knew  little  or  nothing  of  China  at  that  time, 
nor  did  the  Chinese  imagine  there  was  any  truly  great 
empire  in  the  world  besides  their  own;  an  opinion  they 
have  maintained  even  until  our  own  days. 

But  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  manifest  from  the  remains 
of  great,  populous,  and  magnificently  built  cities  which 
stretch  in  a  chain  from  the  Mediterranean  Sea  to  the 
countries  now  embraced  in  the  Chinese  Empire,  from 
the  historic  legends  and  philology  of  the  nations  existing 
there,  and  from  hints  in  the  inspired  history  which  the 
holy  men  of  Palestine  have  given  us,  that  there  was  kept 

32 


CUSTOMS   OF   CONFUCIUS'S   DAY 

up  an  intercourse  by  caravans  across  the  continent, 
and  also  by  sea  between  the  western  and  eastern  sides  of 
the  continent.  The  silk,  the  cassia,  the  camphor,  the 
broidered  work,  the  ivory,  the  porcelain  of  China,  were 
known  through  the  ages  of  the  old  Jewish  dispensation 
to  the  people  of  India,  Central  Asia,  and  Phoenicia  and 
her  neighbors.  The  vessels  of  Solomon  and  Hiram, 
King  of  Tyre,  sailed  two  monsoons  eastward  and  two 
monsoons  back,  —  a  period  of  three  years,  —  which 
connected  them  at  the  Indian  Archipelago  with  the 
commerce  which  in  like  manner  from  the  beginning  of 
history  has  vibrated  with  the  semiannual  monsoon  up 
and  down  the  China  Sea. 


MENCIUS 

BY  S.  WELLS  WILLLUIS 

Mencius  was  born  about  400  b.c,  in  the  city  of  Tsau, 
now  in  the  Province  of  Shantung.  His  father  died  a 
short  time  after  his  son's  birth  and  left  the  guardianship 
of  the  boy  to  his  widow  Changshi.  "The  care  of  this 
prudent  and  attentive  mother,"  to  quote  from  Remusat, 
"has  been  cited  as  a  model  for  all  virtuous  parents.  The 
house  she  occupied  was  near  that  of  a  butcher;  she 
observed  that  at  the  first  cry  of  the  animals  that  were 
being  slaughtered,  the  Httle  Mang  ran  to  be  present  at 
the  sight,  and  that  on  his  return  he  sought  to  imitate 
what  he  had  seen.  Fearful  that  his  heart  might  become 
hardened  and  be  accustomed  to  the  sight  of  blood,  she 
removed  to  another  house,  which  was  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  a  cemetery.  The  relations  of  those  who  were 
buried  there  came  often  to  weep  upon  their  graves,  and 
make  the  customary  libations.  Mencius  soon  took 
pleasure  in  their  ceremonies  and  amused  himself  in  imi- 
tating them.  This  was  a  new  subject  of  uneasiness  to 
Changshi ;  she  feared  her  son  might  come  to  consider  as 
a  jest  what  is  of  all  things  the  most  serious,  and  that  he 
would  acquire  a  habit  of  performing  with  levity,  and  as 
a  matter  of  routine  merely,  ceremonies  which  demand 
the  most  exact  attention  and  respect.  Again,  therefore, 
she  anxiously  changed  her  dwelling  and  went  to  live  in 
the  city,  opposite  to  a  school,  where  her  son  found 
examples  the  most  worthy  of  imitation,  and  soon  began 

34 


MENCIUS 

to  profit  by  them.  I  should  not  have  spoken  of  this 
trifling  anecdote  but  for  the  allusion  which  the  Chinese 
constantly  make  to  it  in  the  common  proverb, '  Formerly 
the  mother  of  Mencius  chose  out  a  neighborhood.'" 
On  another  occasion,  her  son,  seeing  persons  slaughter- 
ing pigs,  asked  her  why  they  did  it.  "To  feed  you,"  she 
replied ;  but  reflecting  that  this  was  teaching  her  son  to 
lightly  regard  the  truth,  went  and  bought  some  pork 
and  gave  him. 

Mencius  devoted  himself  early  to  the  classics,  and 
became  the  disciple  of  Tsz'sz',  the  grandson  and  not 
unworthy  imitator  of  Confucius.  After  his  studies  were 
completed,  he  offered  his  services  to  the  feudal  princes 
of  the  country,  and  was  received  by  Hwui-wang,  King 
of  Wei;  but  though  much  respected  by  this  ruler,  his 
instructions  were  not  regarded.  He  saw,  too,  erelong, 
that,  among  the  numerous  petty  rulers  and  intriguing 
statesmen  of  the  day,  there  was  no  prospect  of  restoring 
tranquillity  to  the  empire,  and  that  discourses  upon  the 
mild  government  and  peaceful  virtues  of  Yau  and  Shun, 
King  Wan  and  Ching-tang,  offered  little  to  interest 
persons  whose  minds  were  engrossed  with  schemes  of 
conquest  or  pleasure.  He,  therefore,  at  length,  returned 
to  his  own  country,  and  in  concert  with  his  disciples, 
employed  himself  in  composing  the  work  which  bears 
his  name,  and  in  completing  the  editorial  labors  of  his 
great  predecessor.  He  died  about  316  B.C.,  aged  eighty- 
four  years. 


A   STORY  OF  MENCIUS 

A  CERTAIN  ruler  said  to  him,  "I  am  not  at  present 
able  to  do  with  the  levying  of  a  tithe  only  and  abolishing 
the  duties  charged  at  the  passes  and  in  the  markets. 
With  your  leave  I  will  lighten,  however,  both  the  tax 
and  the  duties  until  next  year,  and  will  then  make  an 
end  of  them.  What  do  you  think  of  such  a  course?" 
Mencius  said,  "Here  is  a  man  who  every  day  appro- 
priates some  of  his  neighbors'  strayed  fowls.  Some  one 
said  to  him, '  Such  is  not  the  way  of  a  good  man ' ;  and  he 
replied,  '  With  your  leave  I  will  diminish  my  appropria- 
tions and  will  take  only  one  fowl  a  month  until  next 
year,  when  I  will  make  an  end  of  the  practice.'  If  you 
know  that  the  thing  is  unrighteous,  then  use  all  dis- 
patch in  putting  an  end  to  it.  Why  wait  till  next 
year?" 


PROVERBS   OF  MENCIUS 

Beware;  what  proceeds  from  you  will  return  to  you 
again. 

He  who  loves  others  is  constantly  loved  by  them;  he 
that  respects  others  is  constantly  respected  by  them. 

Respect  the  old  and  be  kind  to  the  young.  Be  not 
forgetful  of  strangers  and  travelers. 

The  path  of  duty  Hes  in  what  is  near,  and  men  seek 
for  it  in  what  is  remote. 

If  each  man  would  love  his  parents  and  show  due 
respect  to  his  elders,  the  whole  empire  would  enjoy 
tranquillity. 


Ill 

TIMES  OF   CHANGE   AND 
CONFUSION 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

By  the  sixth  century,  B.C.,  luxury,  misrule,  and  petty  warfare 
had  impoverished  the  nation,  but  with  the  rise  of  the  Tsin 
Dynasty  in  255  B.C.  its  prosperity  was  restored.  Hoangti, 
greatest  of  the  Tsin  monarchs,  abolished  the  feudal  system, 
extended  the  bounds  of  the  empire,  drove  back  the  Tartars, 
and  built  the  Great  Wall  to  pre\^ent  their  further  incursions. 
It  was  from  the  Tsin  Dynasty  that  the  country  received  its 
name,  Tsina,  or  China.  During  the  reign  of  the  Hans,  the 
next  line  of  rulers,  Buddhism  was  introduced,  libraries 
founded,  and  a  system  of  civil  service  instituted.  But  in  the 
second  century  a.d.,  the  nation  again  fell  into  confusion,  and 
for  four  hundred  years  suffered  the  oppressions  of  feeble  and 
vicious  rulers. 


THE   STRENUOUS   REIGN  OF  HOANG-TI 

BY  REV.  CHARLES  GUTZLAFF 

(In  spite  of  all  the  good  advice  of  Confucius,  Laotsze,  and 
Mencius,  the  affairs  of  the  kingdom  did  not  go  on  very 
smoothly.  By  and  by  people  began  to  whisper  that  a  change 
was  surely  coming.  Centuries  before  this,  the  ruler  Yu  had 
set  up  some  brazen  vessels  with  the  name  of  some  one  of  the 
states  on  each.  It  was  reported  that  they  had  been  seen  to 
shake  violently.  Worse  than  this,  a  mountain  fell  into  the 
Hoang-ho  River,  turned  the  stream  from  its  course,  and 
caused  terrible  floods.  The  central  government  grew  weaker, 
the  separate  states  stronger,  and  finally  the  prince  of  the 
State  of  Tsin  became  emperor. 

In  246  B.C.  Hoang-ti  ascended  the  throne.  He  was  only 
thirteen  years  old,  but  in  one  way  or  another  he  usually 
succeeded  in  having  his  own  will. 

The  Editor.] 

Before  Hoang-ti  had  succeeded  to  the  throne,  he  had 
contracted  an  intimacy  with  the  hereditary  Prince  of 
Yen,  called  Tan.  When  he  was  seated  upon  the  throne, 
Tan  paid  him  a  visit,  but  was  coldly  received,  which 
made  him  return  to  his  own  country  with  disappoint- 
ment. On  his  return,  Fan-yu-ke,  an  imperial  general, 
having  fallen  into  disgrace,  had  fled  to  Yen.  The 
emperor  set  a  price  upon  his  head,  but  Tan  refused  to 
violate  the  laws  of  hospitality.  Though  Tan  appeared 
very  sincere  in  his  regard  toward  Fan-yu-ke,  he  kept 
him  at  his  court  only  with  the  view  of  revenging  the 
insult  he  had  received.  A  crafty  man,  called  King-ko, 
was  sent  to  Fan-yu-ke  in  order  to  acquaint  him  with  the 

41 


CHINA 

dreadful  fate  his  family  had  suffered  by  the  Tsin  tyrant 
on  his  own  account.  *'You,"  he  added,  "will  very  soon 
fall  a  victim  to  the  tyrant;  I  advise  you,  therefore,  to 
commit  suicide;  I  shall  carry  your  head  to  the  tyrant, 
and  whilst  he  is  viewing  it,  I  shall  bury  this  poniard  in 
his  breast;  thus  you  will  revenge  your  family,  and  the 
empire  will  be  freed  from  slavery." 

Fan-yu-ke  listened  with  attention;  he  was  enchanted 
with  the  prospect  and  cut  his  throat.  King-ko  hastened 
with  his  head  to  Hoang-ti,  prostrated  himself,  and 
presented  it  in  a  box  to  the  emperor.  Whilst  he  was 
examining  it,  King-ko  drew  his  poniard,  but  the  em- 
peror perceived  it  in  good  time;  he  started,  parried  the 
blow  of  the  assassin,  received  the  wound  in  his  leg,  and 
thus  saved  his  life.  King-ko  was  in  despair  at  having 
missed  so  good  an  opportunity  of  dispatching  the  mon- 
ster, and  again  darted  his  dagger  at  him,  which  merely 
grazed  the  imperial  robes.  After  having  upon  examina- 
tion found  out  that  the  Prince  of  Yen  had  hired  the 
assassin,  he  attacked  Yen,  drove  the  king  out  of  his 
capital  to  Leaou-tung,  and  not  yet  satisfied  with  having 
inflicted  so  heavy  a  punishment,  he  satiated  his  revenge 
to  surfeit  by  exterminating  the  whole  family. 

Constantly  directing  his  attention  to  gain  the  one 
great  object  —  universal  dominion,  he  defeated  all  the 
machinations  of  the  minor  princes  by  a  steady  course  of 
policy;  and  they  were  all  finally  subdued.  Hoang-ti, 
who  had  before  only  borne  the  name  of  Ching-wang,  as 
soon  as  he  saw  himself  the  sole  master  of  the  whole 
empire,  adopted  the  title  of  emperor.  Puffed  up  by  his 
many  victories,  he  thought  himself  by  no  means  inferior 
to  any  of  the  preceding  worthies,  Shin-nung,  Yaou,  and 

42 


THE  STRENUOUS   REIGN  OF  HOANG-TI 

Shun ;  he  therefore  adopted  the  epithet  of  "Che,"  "  begin- 
ning first,"  which  he  placed  before  the  title  of  emperor. 
The  imperial  color  was  changed  to  black,  and  a  regular 
system  of  despotism  introduced.  But  he  did  not  forget 
the  improvement  of  his  country.  Astronomy,  during 
the  many  troubles  of  the  states,  had  fallen  into  disuse ; 
he  reestabhshed  it,  and  published  a  calendar.  Anxious 
to  obliterate  all  the  memory  of  sanguinary  conquest,  he 
ordered  all  the  arms  to  be  brought  to  his  capital,  Heen- 
yang,  and  obliged  his  numerous  soldiers  to  settle  them- 
selves in  this  city,  where  he  endeavored  to  surpass  all 
his  predecessors  in  luxury  and  magnificence.  The 
palace  was  tastefully  laid  out,  and  enriched  with  the 
spoils  of  many  kingdoms;  but  the  ease  of  the  court 
could  not  soften  the  prince.  He  visited  all  the  provinces 
of  the  empire,  made  his  own  observations,  and  even 
penetrated  to  the  great  ocean.  With  scarcely  any  train 
he  traversed  valleys  and  plains,  always  intent  upon  his 
duty.  His  vigorous  mind  was  restless;  he  could  not 
brook  the  reproaches  of  the  literati,  nor  conform  to  their 
advice  of  introducing  the  old  order  of  things  —  he 
wished  to  be  a  founder,  not  a  restorer  of  an  empire. 
Even  in  the  prevalent  superstition  he  dared  to  introduce 
innovations  and  to  offer  sacrifices  according  to  his  own 
fancy.  Being  almost  drowned  whilst  crossing  a  river, 
he  inquired  about  the  cause;  the  spirit  of  a  mountain, 
which  was  pointed  out  to  him,  received  all  the  credit. 
He  therefore  had  the  mountain  laid  bare  of  all  its  trees 
and  herbs,  in  order  to  revenge  himself  for  the  insult.  At 
another  time  he  dispatched  some  young  men  and  women 
in  search  of  the  islands  of  immortahty,  which  he  was 
told  were  situated  toward  the  east.    The  adventurers 

43 


CHINA 

were  driven  back  from  thence  by  a  very  heavy  gale,  and 
returned  without  bringing  with  them  the  liquor  of 
immortality;  but  one  of  their  number,  who  had  been 
driven  in  a  different  direction,  reported  to  the  emperor 
that  he  had  landed  at  the  isles  of  immortality,  where  he 
had  found  a  manuscript,  which  stated  that  the  Tsin 
Empire  was  to  end  by  *'Hoo."  Hoang-ti  lent  a  wilUng 
ear  to  this  impostor,  and  immediately  resolved  to  attack 
the  Heung-noo,  or  Huns,  for  these  he  understood  were 
the  "Hoo"  which  would  put  an  end  to  the  reign  of  his 
family. 

The  Huns,  this  scourge  of  the  civilized  world,  dated 
their  empire  from  one  of  the  princes  of  the  Hea  Dynasty. 
Their  country  was  of  great  extent,  situated  on  the  west 
of  Shen-se,  of  which  they  possessed  the  western  parts; 
and  their  posterity  still  inhabit  a  part  of  that  territory, 
the  present  Ele.  They  belonged  to  that  extensive  tribe 
which  the  ancients  comprised  under  the  name  of  Scyth- 
ians. The  country  they  inhabited  was  so  barren  as  to 
render  agriculture  Uttle  available  to  the  maintenance  of 
life.  Their  indolent,  pastoral  habits  had  for  them  greater 
attractions  than  the  constant  toil  of  the  Chinese  peas- 
ant. Hunting  was  their  chief  amusement,  and  next 
to  their  herds,  their  principal  means  of  subsistence. 
Without  the  arts  of  civilized  life,  they  were  cruel  and 
bloodthirsty,  desirous  of  conquest,  and  insatiable  in 
rapine.  ,  .  .  Their  victorious  arms  were  only  bounded 
by  the  Eastern  Ocean;  the  thinly  inhabited  territories 
along  the  banks  of  the  Amoor  acknowledged  their 
sway;  they  conquered  countries  near  the  Irtish  and 
Imaus;  nothing  could  stop  them  but  the  ice-fields  of 
the  Arctic  seas.    Their  principal  strength  was  in  their 

44 


THE  STRENUOUS  REIGN  OF  HOANG-TI 

innumerable  cavalry,  which  appears  to  have  been  very 
skillful  in  the  use  of  the  bow.  Their  march  was  checked 
by  neither  mountains  nor  torrents ;  they  swam  over  the 
deepest  rivers,  and  surprised  with  rapid  impetuosity  the 
camps  of  their  enemies.  Against  such  hordes  no  mihtary 
tactics,  no  fortifications  proved  of  any  avail.  They  car- 
ried all  before  them  with  irresistible  power,  and  never 
waited  until  a  numerous  army  could  be  assembled  to 
overwhelm  them.  Hardy  to  an  extreme,  they  could 
support  fatigue  and  hunger;  and  never  lost  view  of  the 
object  of  all  their  excursions  —  plunder. 

Hoang-ti  surprised  and  sought  to  extirpate  these 
fierce  barbarians;  and  finding  them  unprepared,  the 
conquest  was  very  easy.  His  generals  having  subdued 
the  people  in  the  south,  nothing  more  remained  to  be 
done  than  to  subdue  these  Tartars,  or  at  least  to  put  a 
stop  to  their  inroads.  Some  of  the  northern  states  had 
eventually  built  a  wall  to  keep  those  unbidden  guests  out 
of  their  territories.  Hoang-ti  resolved  to  erect  a  monu- 
ment of  his  enterprising  spirit  which  would  be  a  lasting 
memorial  of  his  greatness.  This  was  the  building  of  the 
great  wall  which  commences  in  the  western  part  of 
Shen-si  and  terminates  in  the  mountains  of  Leaou-tung, 
in  the  sea,  a  distance  of  more  than  fifteen  hundred  miles. 
It  runs  over  hills  and  rivers,  through  valleys  and  plains, 
and  is  perhaps  the  most  stupendous  work  ever  produced 
by  human  labor.  He  Hned  it  with  fortresses,  erected 
towers  and  battlements,  and  built  it  so  broad  that  six 
horsemen  might  ride  abreast  upon  it.  To  lay  the  foun- 
dation in  the  sea,  several  vessels  loaded  with  ballast  were 
sunk,  and  upon  this  the  wall  was  erected.  Every  third 
man  in  the  kingdom  was  required  to  work  on  it.   The 

45 


CHINA 

enormous  work  was  finished  within  five  years,  but  the 
founder  had  not  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  it  completed. 
During  these  immense  pursuits,  the  emperor  was  often 
interrupted  in  his  work  by  the  representations  of  the 
literati,  who  desired  to  restore  ancient  customs  and 
revert  to  the  glorious  times  of  Yaou  and  Shun.  The 
emperor,  fond  of  innovations,  anxious  to  perpetuate  his 
name  by  extraordinary  works,  was  highly  dissatisfied 
with  their  observations.  Lesze,  his  prime  minister, 
advised  him,  therefore,  to  put  a  stop  to  all  similar  re- 
marks by  burning  the  ancient  books. 

[Probably  the  emperor  had  made  up  his  mind  long  before 
the  matter  came  up  in  his  council,  but  the  following  is  what 
Lesze  is  reported  to  have  said :  ] 

"Your  Majesty  has  laid  the  foundations  of  imperial 
sway,  so  that  it  will  last  for  ten  thousand  generations. 
This  is,  indeed,  beyond  what  a  stupid  scholar  can 
understand.  And,  moreover,  Yue  only  talks  of  things 
belonging  to  the  Three  Dynasties,  which  are  not  fit  to 
be  models  to  you.  At  other  times,  when  the  princes  were 
all  striving  together,  they  endeavored  to  gather  the 
wandering  scholars  about  them ;  but  now  the  empire  is 
in  a  stable  condition,  laws  and  ordinances  issue  from  one 
supreme  authority.  Let  those  of  the  people  who  abide 
in  their  homes  give  their  strength  to  the  toils  of  hus- 
bandry, and  those  who  become  scholars  should  study 
the  various  laws  and  prohibitions.  Instead  of  doing 
this,  however,  the  scholars  do  not  learn  what  belongs  to 
the  present  day,  but  study  antiquity.  They  go  on  to 
condemn  the  present  time,  leading  the  masses  of  the 
people  astray  and  to  disorder. 

46 


THE  STRENUOUS   REIGN  OF  HOANG-TI 

"At  the  risk  of  my  life,  I,  the  prime  minister,  say,  — 
Formerly,  when  the  empire  was  disunited  and  disturbed, 
there  was  no  one  who  could  give  unity  to  it.  The  princes, 
therefore,  stood  up  together;  constant  references  were 
made  to  antiquity  to  the  injury  of  the  present  state; 
baseless  statements  were  dressed  up  to  confound  what 
was  real,  and  men  made  a  boast  of  their  own  peculiar 
learning  to  condemn  what  the  rulers  appointed.  And 
now,  when  Your  Majesty  has  consolidated  the  empire, 
and,  distinguishing  black  from  white,  has  made  it  a 
stable  unity,  they  still  honor  their  peculiar  learning  and 
combine  together;  they  teach  men  what  is  contrary  to 
your  laws.  When  they  hear  that  an  ordinance  has  been 
issued,  every  one  sets  to  discussing  it  with  his  learning. 
In  the  court,  they  are  dissatisfied  in  heart;  out  of  it, 
they  keep  talking  in  the  streets.  While  they  make  a 
pretense  of  vaunting  their  Master,  they  consider  it  fine 
to  have  extraordinary  views  of  their  own.  And  so  they 
lead  on  the  people  to  be  guilty  of  murmuring  and  evil- 
speaking.  If  these  things  are  not  prohibited,  Your 
Majesty's  authority  will  decline  and  parties  will  be 
formed.  The  best  way  is  to  prohibit  them.  I  pray  that 
all  the  Records  in  charge  of  the  Historiographers  be 
burned,  excepting  those  of  Ts'in;  that,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  those  officers  belonging  to  the  Board  of  Great 
Scholars,  all  throughout  the  empire  who  presume  to 
keep  copies  of  the  She-king  or  Shoo-king  or  of  the  books 
of  the  Hundred  Schools,  be  required  to  go  with  them  to 
the  officers  in  charge  of  the  several  districts  and  burn 
them;  that  all  who  may  dare  to  speak  together  about 
the  She  and  the  Shoo  be  put  to  death,  and  their  bodies 
exposed  in  the  market-place;  that  those  who  make  men- 

47 


CHINA 

tion  of  the  past,  so  as  to  blame  the  present,  be  put  to 
death  along  with  their  relatives;  that  ofi&cers  who  shall 
know  of  the  violation  of  those  rules  and  not  inform 
against  the  offenders  be  held  equally  guilty  with  them; 
and  that  whoever  shall  not  have  burned  their  Books 
within  thirty  days  after  the  issuing  of  the  ordinance  be 
branded  and  sent  to  labor  on  the  wall  for  four  years. 
The  only  Books  which  shall  be  spared  are  those  of  medi- 
cine, divination,  and  husbandry.  Whoever  wants  to 
learn  the  laws  may  go  to  the  magistrates  and  learn  of 
them." 
The  imperial  decision  was  —  "Approved." 


THE   RULE   OF   THE   HANS 

BY    REV.    WILLIAM    SPEER 
[206  B.C. -221  A.D.] 

[In  this  burning  of  the  books,  the  special  aim  was  to 
destroy  the  volumes  known  as  the  Nine  Classics.  The  first 
five  are  these:  the  Shoo-king,  or  Book  of  History;  the  She- 
king,  or  Book  of  Odes;  the  Spring  and  Autumn  Annals;  the 
Book  of  Rites;  and  the  Book  of  Changes.  Of  these  five,  the 
last  was  used  in  divination,  and  therefore  was  not  destroyed. 
The  other  four  classics  were  written  by  Mencius  and  the 
other  pupils  and  followers  of  Confucius.  They  are  the  Great 
Learning,  the  Doctrine  of  the  Mean,  the  Confucian  Analects, 
and  the  works  of  Mencius.  In  the  course  of  time  Hoang-ti 
died,  and  Kaoti,  a  book-lover,  sat  upon  the  throne.  Orders 
were  given  to  search  the  land  for  copies  of  the  books.  Then 
the  delighted  scholars  hastened  forward  with  the  volumes 
or  parts  of  volumes  that  they  had  risked  their  lives  to  save. 
Some  had  been  hidden  in  caves,  in  the  roofs  or  walls  of 
houses,  or  under  their  floors,  and  some  had  been  carefully 
protected,  and  buried  in  the  beds  of  rivers.  A  blind  man  was 
found  who  could  recite  more  than  one  fourth  of  the  Shoo- 
king,  and  a  young  girl  supplied  another  portion  of  the  book. 
Seventy  years  after  the  death  of  Hoang-ti,  the  house  of 
Confucius  was  torn  down,  and,  behold,  in  the  wall  was  found 
a  complete  copy  of  the  work.  When  Kaoti  became  emperor, 
in  206  B.C.,  there  were  almost  no  books  in  the  empire,  but 
within  the  two  following  centuries  more  than  seven  thou- 
sand were  written.  Kaoti  was  in  many  ways  a  noble  man 
and  an  excellent  ruler,  but  he  came  to  the  throne  because 
he  was  the  leader  of  a  successful  rebeUion. 

The  Editor.] 

It  is  related  of  this  adventurer  [Kaoti]  that  just  after 
the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  he  happened  to  meet  a 

49 


CHINA 

fortune  teller  on  the  road,  who,  falling  at  his  feet,  said 
he  offered  him  this  mark  of  homage  because  he  saw  by 
the  lines  in  his  face  that  he  was  destined  shortly  to 
become  emperor.  In  making  this  prediction  the  sooth- 
sayer no  doubt  foresaw  the  probability  of  its  accom- 
plishment, for  it  was  not  an  unUkely  termination  of  the 
rebellion  that  the  leader,  if  successful,  should  be  placed 
on  the  throne;  with  this  belief,  therefore,  the  stranger 
followed  up  his  prophecy  by  offering  his  only  daughter 
in  marriage  to  the  chief.  Kaoti  accepted  the  proposal 
and  married  the  lady,  who  was  thus,  by  her  father's 
artifice,  raised  to  the  dignity  of  empress;  for,  after  many 
scenes  of  violence  and  bloodshed,  in  which  the  lawful 
emperor  lost  his  life,  the  insurgents  were  victorious  and 
their  leader  was  raised  to  the  imperial  throne. 

The  new  sovereign  was  a  native  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Han,  one  of  those  small  states  into  which  the  empire  had 
formerly  been  divided ;  therefore  he  is  called  the  founder 
of  the  Han  Dynasty.  The  princes  of  his  race  occupied 
the  throne  for  more  than  four  centuries.  The  first  of  the 
race  commenced  one  of  the  most  celebrated  periods  of 
Chinese  history.  In  spite  of  the  Great  Wall,  the  Tartars 
continued  their  predatory  warfare,  and  sorely  dis- 
quieted the  more  poHshed  and  peaceful  Chinese,  who 
vainly  attempted  to  propitiate  them  with  alliances  and 
tribute.  The  first  emperors  of  this  race  endeavored  to 
make  friends  of  the  great  Tartar  chiefs  by  giving  them 
their  daughters  in  marriage.  A  native  historian  of  the 
period  exclaims:  "Our  disgrace  could  not  be  exceeded: 
from  this  time  China  lost  her  honor!"  In  the  reign  of 
the  ninth  emperor,  the  Tartars  having  been  provoked 
by  the  punishment  inflicted  upon  two  of  their  chiefs 

50 


THE  RULE   OF  THE  HANS 

who  had  transgressed  the  boundaries  of  the  Great  Wall 
while  engaged  in  hunting,  the  empire  was  again  invaded 
by  the  "erratic  nations,"  and  a  princess  was  demanded 
and  yielded  in  marriage.  These  incidents  form  the  sub- 
ject of  one  of  the  hundred  plays  of  Yuen,  an  English 
version  of  which  was  printed  in  London  under  the  name 
of  "The  Sorrows  of  Han."  The  impolitic  system  of 
buying  off  the  barbarians  which  commenced  thus  early 
led  many  centuries  afterwards  to  the  total  overthrow  of 
the  empire  by  the  Tartars. 

During  this  period,  however,  the  Chinese  made  very 
important  advances  in  civilization.  The  arts  and  sciences 
were  improved,  literature  was  encouraged,  agriculture 
was  in  a  progressive  state,  and  several  useful  inventions 
date  their  origin  from  the  same  era.  Among  the  latter, 
one  of  the  most  important  is  the  manufacture  of  paper, 
which  is  supposed  to  have  been  commenced  toward  the 
end  of  the  first  century.  The  Egyptians  had  long  pos- 
sessed the  art  of  making  paper  from  the  rush  called 
papyrus,  which  was  also  used  at  Rome  for  the  same  pur- 
pose in  the  first  century;  but  that  the  Chinese  obtained 
their  knowledge  from  either  Rome  or  Egypt  may  well  be 
doubted.  Before  they  were  acquainted  with  this  useful 
art,  they  were  accustomed  to  write  on  thin  slips  of  bam- 
boo, not  with  ink,  but  with  pointed  tools  similar  to  those 
used  by  engravers,  with  which  they  cut  or  engraved  the 
characters.  Books  were  formed  of  bamboo  by  taking 
off  the  outside  bark  and  cutting  it  into  thin  sheets,  all  of 
the  same  shape  and  size;  which,  after  the  writing  was 
finished,  were  strung  together  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
form  a  compact  though  rather  clumsy  volume.  At 
length,  about  the  year  of  our  era  95,  it  was  ascertained, 

51 


CHINA 

by  what  means  does  not  appear,  that  bamboo  might  be 
made  into  a  better  material  for  writing  upon  than  it 
furnished  in  its  natural  state,  by  pounding  it  in  a  mortar 
with  water  until  it  becomes  a  thin  paste,  which,  being 
spread  out  on  a  flat  surface,  was  dried  into  what  we  call 
paper.  The  earliest  specimens  of  this  new  art  in  China 
were  probably  of  a  very  rough  description,  but  the 
manufacture  was  gradually  improved  by  the  mixture  of 
silk  and  other  materials,  until  the  Chinese  were  able  to 
produce  a  paper  of  the  most  beautiful  texture,  adapted 
for  printing,  which  we  now  call  India  paper,  and  another 
kind  for  painting,  known  by  the  name  of  rice  paper. 

The  invention  of  paper  naturally  leads  to  that  of  ink, 
which  in  China  is  always  made  in  those  cakes  which  are 
imported  by  the  merchants  of  Western  countries  under 
the  name  of  Indian  ink;  it  is  used  with  the  camel's-hair 
pencils  for  writing  by  the  Chinese,  who  do  not  require 
such  pens  as  ours  in  the  formation  of  their  hieroglyphical 
characters. 


RAKAN  FEEDING  THE   HUNGRY   SPIRIT 


RAKAN  FEEDING  THE  HUNGRY  SPIRIT 

From  a  Chinese  painting  of  the  twelfth  century 

The  history  of  Chinese  painting  is  a  long  one,  reaching 
back  to  at  least  the  third  century  B.C.  The  highest  devel- 
opment was  attained  under  the  Sung  Dynasty  (a.d.  960- 
1280),  the  Golden  Age  of  China,  especially  in  landscape 
and  in  religious  paintings,  of  which  the  picture  shown  here 
is  a  good  example. 

A  rakan,  or  Buddhist  holy-man,  is  feeding  a  wretched 
spirit  that  crouches  before  him.  In  one  hand  he  holds  a 
bowl  and  with  the  other  offers  food  to  the  starving  spirit, 
while  his  disciples  regard  the  scene  with  an  obvious  expres- 
sion of  surprise  at  the  length  to  which  the  rakan  carries  his 
charity. 

Buddha  taught  that  the  most  rapid  spiritual  progress 
might  be  made  by  withdrawing  from  the  world.  His  rule 
for  those  who  would  devote  themselves  to  the  higher  life 
required  them  to  make  their  abode  in  the  forest,  though 
after  a  time  they  were  provided  with  monasteries  in  which 
they  might  live  during  the  rainy  season.  They  were  to  dress 
in  simple  robes  of  dull  yellow  cloth,  made  by  sewing  rags 
together.  Their  entire  wealth  must  consist  of  a  girdle,  a 
razor,  a  needle,  an  alms-bowl,  and  a  strainer;  for  all  water 
drunk  must  be  strained,  not  to  preserve  the  health  of  the 
drinker,  but  rather  the  lives  of  any  insects  that  might  be  in 
the  liquid.  The  rakan  rose  before  daybreak,  washed,  swept 
around  the  Bo  tree,  sacred  to  the  meditations  of  Buddha, 
brought  the  drinking  water  for  the  day  and  strained  it, 
placed  flowers  before  the  tree,  and  meditated  on  his  own 
faults  and  the  virtues  of  Buddha.  Then,  taking  his  bowl,  he 
followed  his  superior  on  a  begging  tour,  for  all  food  eaten 
must  be  obtained  in  this  way.  After  the  single  daily  meal, 
he  retired  and  meditated  on  kindness  and  love.  After  this 
he  studied.  At  sunset  he  swept  the  holy  places  and  re- 
peated to  his  superior  what  he  had  learned,  and  listened  to 
instruction.  He  must  also  confess  any  wrongdoing  of  which 
he  had  been  guilty.  So  passed  the  day  of  one  who  would 
seek  self-conquest  and  the  joys  of  the  higher  life. 


THE  THREE   RELIGIONS 

BY  W.  A.  P.  MARTIN 

[The  invention  of  gunpowder,  the  compass,  and  printing, 
the  manufactures  of  silk  and  of  porcelain  have  all  been 
claimed  for  China.  It  is  thought  that  the  Chinese  were  the 
earliest  searchers  for  the  philosopher's  stone,  which  should 
turn  baser  metals  into  gold;  and  for  the  elixir  of  life,  by 
which  one's  years  might  be  lengthened  to  whatever  extent 
he  chose.  The  Chinese  have  a  legend  that  a  demon  once 
offered  to  teach  an  alchemist  how  to  turn  base  metal  into 
gold.  "But  will  it  remain  gold?"  the  alchemist  asked. 
"Will  it  not  return  to  its  original  elements?"  "Certainly," 
replied  the  demon,  "but  that  need  not  trouble  you,  for  no 
such  change  will  take  place  until  ten  thousand  ages  have 
passed."  The  alchemist  refused  the  gift.  "I  should  rather 
live  in  poverty,"  he  said,  "than  bring  a  loss  upon  my  fellow 
men,  even  after  ten  thousand  ages  have  passed." 

There  had  been  for  many  years  two  religions  in  the  coun- 
try, Confucianism  and  Taoism.  Confucianism  taught  its  fol- 
lowers to  worship  heroes,  their  own  ancestors,  and  the  powers 
of  nature.  Taoism  claimed  to  have  been  founded  by  Laotze; 
but  if  so,  it  had  wandered  far  from  his  teachings.  According 
to  Taoism,  there  is  a  soul  or  god  in  everything,  a  god  of  fire, 
of  rain,  of  thunder,  and  so  on.  The  Taoist  priests  gain  a  vast 
influence  by  persuading  the  Chinese  that  they  can  save  them 
from  the  attacks  of  evil  spirits. 

At  the  time  of  the  birth  of  Christ,  there  was  a  vague 
feeling  through  the  East  that  some  great  religious  event  had 
come  to  pass  in  the  West.  The  "wise  men  from  the  East" 
looked  to  the  land  of  the  Hebrews,  and  journeyed  west- 
ward to  Jerusalem  to  ask,  "  Where  is  he  that  is  born  King  of 
the  Jews?"  More  than  half  a  century  later,  the  rumor  of  a 
new  faith  had  reached  China,  and  the  emperor  sent  his 
brother,  together  with  eighteen  officers  of  state  and  a  long 

53 


CHINA 

retinue  of  attendants,  to  learn  what  it  might  be.  The  com- 
mission went  to  India;  and  there  they  were  persuaded  that 
Buddhism,  as  the  teachings  of  Buddha,  a  former  prince  of 
India,  were  called,  was  the  new  faith  of  which  they  were  in 
search.  A  prominent  part  of  Buddhism  is  the  belief  in  me- 
tempsychosis, or  transmigration  of  souls ;  that  is,  that  when  a 
man  dies  his  soul  enters  some  animal.  It  is  for  this  reason 
that  the  followers  of  Buddha  are  forbidden  to  destroy  any 
animal  life. 

The  Editor.] 

It  is  impossible  to  apportion  the  people  among  these 
several  creeds.  They  are  all  Confucians,  all  Buddhists, 
all  Taoists.  They  all  reverence  Confucius  and  worship 
their  ancestors,  and  employ  the  Buddhist  burial  serxace; 
and  all  resort  to  the  magical  devices  of  the  Taoists  to 
protect  themselves  against  the  assaults  of  evil  spirits,  or 
secure  "good  luck"  in  business.  They  celebrate  their 
marriages  according  to  the  Confucian  rites;  in  building 
their  houses,  they  ask  the  advice  of  a  Taoist;  and  in 
cases  of  alarming  illness  employ  him  to  exorcise  evil 
spirits.  At  death  they  commit  their  souls  to  the  keeping 
of  the  Buddhists.  The  people  assert,  and  with  truth, 
that  these  religions,  originally  three,  have  become  one; 
and  they  are  accustomed  to  symbolize  this  unity  by 
erecting  San  Chiao  T'ang,  Temples  of  the  Three  Reli- 
gions, in  which  Confucius  and  Laotze  appear  on  the 
right  and  left  of  Buddha,  as  forming  a  triad  of  sages. 
This  arrangement,  however,  gives  great  ofifense  to  some 
of  the  more  zealous  disciples  of  Confucius;  and  a  few 
years  ago  a  memorial  was  presented  to  the  emperor, 
praying  him  to  demolish  the  San  Chiao  T'ang,  which 
stood  near  the  tomb  of  their  great  teacher,  who  has 
"no  equal  but  Heaven." 

54 


THE  THREE   RELIGIONS 

In  the  Liao  Chai,  a  collection  of  tales,  there  is  a  story 
which  owes  its  humor  to  the  bizarre  intermixture  of 
elements  from  each  of  the  Three  Religions. 

A  young  nobleman,  riding  out,  hawk  in  hand,  is 
thrown  from  his  horse  and  taken  up  for  dead.  On  being 
conveyed  to  his  house,  he  opens  his  eyes  and  gradually 
recovers  his  bodily  strength;  but,  to  the  grief  of  his 
family,  he  is  hopelessly  insane.  He  fancies  himself  a 
Buddhist  priest,  and  insists  on  being  conveyed  to  a 
distant  province,  where  he  affirms  he  has  passed  his  Hfe 
in  a  monastery.  On  arriving  he  proves  himself  to  be  the 
abbot ;  and  the  mystery  of  his  transfiguration  is  at  once 
solved. 

He  had  led  a  dissolute  life,  and  his  flimsy  soul,  unable 
to  sustain  the  shock  of  death,  was  at  once  dissipated. 
The  soul  of  a  priest  who  had  just  expired  happened  to  be 
floating  by,  and  took  possession  of  the  still  warm  corpse. 

The  young  nobleman  was  a  Confucian  of  the  modern 
type.  The  idea  of  the  soul  changing  its  earthly  tenement 
is  Buddhistic.  And  that  which  rendered  the  metamor- 
phosis possible,  without  waiting  for  another  birth,  was 
the  Taoist  doctrine  that  the  soul  is  dissolved  with  the 
body,  unless  it  be  purified  and  concentrated  by  vigorous 
discipline. 


DREAM  AND  REALITY,  A  BUDDHIST  STORY 

BY  CHUANG  TZU,  FOURTH  CENTURY  B.C. 

Once  upon  a  time  I  dreamed  I  was  a  butterfly,  flut- 
tering hither  and  thither,  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a 
butterfly.  I  was  conscious  only  of  following  my  fancies 
(as  a  butterfly)  and  was  unconscious  of  my  individuaUty 
as  a  man;  and  there  I  lay,  myself  again.  I  do  not  know 
whether  I  was  then  dreaming  I  was  a  butterfly,  or 
whether  I  am  now  a  butterfly  dreaming  that  it  is  a  man. 
Between  man  and  butterfly  there  is  necessarily  a  barrier; 
and  the  transition  is  called  Metempsychosis. 


MULAN,   THE  MAIDEN   CHIEF 

[From  the  third  century  a.d.  to  the  seventh,  disorder  and 
crime  increased.  There  was  a  northern,  an  eastern,  and  a 
western  kingdom,  and  there  were  attacks  by  the  Huns.  One 
emperor  favored  Buddhism;  another  banished  or  slew  its 
priests  and  destroyed  their  books.  In  the  very  death  cham- 
ber of  an  emperor  one  of  his  sons  struck  down  another  that 
he  might  gain  the  kingdom  for  himself.  Extravagance  was 
carried  so  far  as  to  become  wickedness.  One  ruler  built 
himself  a  magnificent  palace,  large  enough  to  shelter  his  ten 
thousand  attendants.  His  bodyguard  was  a  regiment  of 
superbly  dressed  women  mounted  on  horseback.  On  his 
amusements  money  was  spent  like  water.  Wherever  he 
went,  he  found  bodies  of  his  subjects  hanging  from  the 
trees,  for  they  had  chosen  suicide  rather  than  death  by 
starvation;  but  this  was  nothing  to  him,  and  his  wild  extrav- 
agance continued.  One  emperor  used  to  run  through  the 
streets  with  a  drawn  sword,  slaying  every  one  that  was  so 
unfortunate  as  to  come  in  his  way.  Another  saw  the  enemy 
coming,  and  instead  of  defending  his  city,  he  occupied  him- 
self in  burning  the  royal  library,  saying  that  all  his  studying 
of  books  was  of  no  avail  when  the  time  of  his  need  had  come, 
and  now  they  should  be  destroyed.  Freaks  and  vagaries 
ruled  the  land.  Now  and  then  an  emperor  arose  who  loved 
his  people  and  punished  whoever  oppressed  them.  One  such 
sovereign  was  poisoned  by  his  own  mother.  It  is  small  won- 
der that  with  his  last  breath  he  besought  Buddha  never 
again  to  send  him  to  earth  as  an  emperor. 

From  this  time  of  warfare  come  many  stories  of  brave 
deeds.  One  commander  turned  a  hopeless  defense  into  a 
victory  by  his  quickness  of  wit.  As  the  foe  advanced,  he 
threw  open  the  gates  of  the  city,  called  away  the  sentinels, 
took  a  seat  on  a  tower  in  full  view,  and  began  to  play  merrily 
on  his  guitar.  Naturally,  the  enemy  supposed  that  he  had 

57 


CHINA 

some  scheme  in  hand  which  made  him  absolutely  certain  of 
safety,  and  they  withdrew.  Another  commander  was  so 
nearly  overcome  by  famine  that  the  enemy  confidently 
expected  a  surrender  within  a  few  days.  One  night  the 
besiegers  heard  the  men  in  the  hostile  camp  hard  at  work, 
tramping  to  and  fro.  In  the  morning  they  saw  great  heaps  of 
rice  beside  the  road.  This  meant,  of  course,  that  food  and 
reinforcements  had  reached  the  camp  during  the  night,  and 
they  retreated.  They  did  not  guess  that  the  heaps  were  of 
sand,  and  that  the  thin  covering  of  rice  was  the  last  bit  of 
food  in  the  possession  of  the  starving  soldiers. 

In  these  times  of  constant  fighting,  it  happened  more 
than  once  that  a  woman  held  a  fort  against  an  invading 
enemy.  Such  a  warrior  was  Mulan.  This  poem  was  written 
between  502  and  556  a.d. 

The  Editor.] 

"Say,  maiden  at  your  spinning  wheel, 
Why  heave  that  deep-drawn  sigh? 
Is 't  fear,  perchance,  or  love  you  feel? 
Pray  tell  —  oh,  tell  me  why!" 

"Nor  fear  nor  love  has  moved  my  soul  — 
Away  such  idle  thought! 
A  warrior's  glory  is  the  goal 
By  my  ambition  sought. 

"My  father's  cherished  life  to  save, 
My  country  to  redeem, 
The  dangers  of  the  field  I'll  brave: 
I  am  not  what  I  seem. 

"No  son  has  he  his  troop  to  lead. 
No  brother  dear  have  I; 

58 


MULAN,  THE  MAIDEN   CHIEF 

So  I  must  mount  my  father's  steed, 
And  to  the  battle  hie." 

At  dawn  of  day  she  quits  her  door, 

At  evening  rests  her  head 
Where  loud  the  mountain  torrents  roar 

And  mail-clad  soldiers  tread. 

The  northern  plains  are  gained  at  last, 
The  mountains  sink  from  view; 

The  sun  shines  cold,  and  the  wintry  blast 
It  pierces  through  and  through. 

A  thousand  foes  around  her  fall, 
And  red  blood  stains  the  ground; 

But  Mulan,  who  survives  it  all. 
Returns  with  glory  crowned. 

Before  the  throne  they  bend  the  knee 

In  the  palace  of  Changan, 
Full  many  a  knight  of  high  degree. 

But  the  bravest  is  Mulan. 

"Nay,  prince,"  she  cries,  "my  duty  's  done, 
No  guerdon  I  desire; 
But  let  me  to  my  home  begone, 
To  cheer  my  aged  sire." 

She  nears  the  door  of  her  father's  home, 

A  chief  with  trumpet's  blare; 
But  when  she  doffs  her  waving  plume. 

She  stands  a  maiden  fair. 


THE   PRODIGAL   EMPEROR  WANG-TI 

BY   ROUNSEVELLE    WILDMAN 

In  the  middle  of  the  sixth  century  ruled  one  Wang-ti, 
the  most  reckless  and  wildly  extravagant  emperor  that 
ever  occupied  the  dragon  throne.  Wang-ti  lived  a  short 
life  and  a  merry  one;  no  expenditure  appalled  him,  and 
no  sacrifice  of  blood  and  treasure  deterred  him  from 
following  to  the  very  end  any  of  his  fancies.  Even  the 
building  of  the  canal  system  that  has  made  his  name 
famous  was  a  whim  for  the  gratification  of  his  own 
pleasures.  He  wished  to  visit  all  the  prominent  cities 
of  the  empire  in  the  most  comfortable  and  luxurious 
way.  He  ordered  that  canals  be  immediately  dug  from 
the  river  Pien,  a  branch  of  the  Han,  in  Hupeh,  to  the 
river  Sz,  a  short  stream  in  Shantung;  another  from  Sz 
to  communicate  with  the  river  Hwai,  and  that  the  ex- 
isting water-courses  be  widened.  At  the  same  time  he 
ordered  built  forty  thousand  "dragon  boats"  for  the 
accommodation  of  his  three  thousand  favorites  and 
immediate  court.  The  canals  were  not  mere  ditches, 
but  magnificent  examples  of  both  engineering  and  artis- 
tic skill  —  nothing  was  left  unfinished  to  offend  the 
critical  eye  of  the  dandy.  They  were  one  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  wide,  Uned  with  cut  stone,  with  paved  roads 
on  either  side,  shaded  by  full-grown  trees.  Task-masters 
drove  the  laborers  day  and  night,  and  of  the  million  men 
employed  it  is  stated  that  over  forty  per  cent  died.  In 
the  first  royal  journey  from  Lohyang,  the  capital,  to 

60 


THE  PRODIGAL   EMPEROR   WANG-TI 

Nanking,  the  procession  of  boats  extended  for  over 
sixty  miles,  and  eighty  thousand  soldiers  were  detailed 
to  drag  them.  The  royal  barge  was  two  hundred  feet 
long  and  forty  feet  high,  with  four  decks.  Every  district 
through  which  they  passed  was  levied  upon  for  provi- 
sions to  support  this  immense  host  in  transit.  The 
magnificent  pageant  swept  through  the  empire  for  eight 
months,  the  wonder  and  ruin  of  all  who  came  within  its 
reach.  The  vast  palaces,  gardens,  towns,  artificial  lakes 
and  mountains  that  Wang-ti  the  Magnificent  built  in 
the  short  twelve  years  of  his  reign  were,  according  to 
the  custom  of  the  times,  destroyed  by  his  successor; 
but  the  canals  remained  a  blessing  to  the  descendants 
of  the  laborers  who  had  died  in  their  construction. 

Nebuchadnezzar,  the  Pharaohs,  Nero,  and  Louis  XIV 
were  but  feeble  imitators  of  this  royal  Chinese  spend- 
thrift. Cleopatra's  barge  and  Babylon's  hanging-gar- 
dens were  duplicated  on  a  magnificent  scale  by  Wang-ti. 
He  had  a  godlike  genius  for  spending  money.  In  his 
palace  garden,  which  was  so  great  that  it  contained  an 
artificial  lake  three  miles  wide  and  three  artificial  islands 
one  hundred  feet  high,  the  flowering  shrubs  and  trees 
were  kept  in  perpetual  bloom  by  skilled  workmen,  who 
renewed  every  fallen  flower  with  such  exquisite  imita- 
tion in  silk  and  satin  that  no  one  could  tell  the  natural 
from  the  artificial  at  a  short  distance.  After  his  death, 
it  was  discovered  that  he  had  used  all  up  the  precious 
metals  in  the  empire,  and  that  money  was  so  scarce  that 
pieces  of  leather  and  paper,  with  their  values  stamped 
upon  them,  had  to  be  used  in  trade.  He  took  his  de- 
thronement with  the  same  gay  nonchalance  with  which 
he  had  sat  upon  the  throne.    To  his  queen  he  said, 

6i 


CHINA 

"Joy  and  sorrow  both  come  to  every  man.  Let  us,  then, 
bear  each  as  it  comes,  and  make  the  best  of  life  we  can." 
And  of  his  princely  executioners  he  asked  —  politely 
disinterested  —  "What  sin  have  I  committed  that  you 
wish  to  take  away  my  hfe?  "  "Sin?  "  they  replied,  "why, 
what  sin  is  there  that  you  have  not  been  guilty  of?" 
"What  you  say  m.ay  be  true,"  answered  the  royal 
Chesterfield:  "hand  me  the  silken  cord.  I  have  had 
more  pleasure  in  my  life  than  you  can  have  at  my 
death." 

The  house  of  Tang  opened  a  new  era  in  the  history  of 
China,  and  marked  the  close  of  what  might  be  styled 
"the  Middle  Ages."  It  has  appropriately  been  called 
the  Augustan  Age  of  Chinese  literature.  Each  emperor 
strove  to  outdo  his  predecessors  in  the  fostering  of 
scholars  and  the  education  of  the  gentry.  Great  libraries 
were  established,  schools  sprang  up,  poets,  essayists, 
and  historians  thronged  the  successive  courts.  "The 
Complete  Poems  of  the  Tang  Dynasty"  will  be  found 
in  the  home  of  every  well-to-do  Chinaman  of  to-day. 
The  writings  of  Confucius  were  annotated  and  popu- 
larized; and  in  740  that  deathless  teacher  was  raised  to 
the  rank  of  a  prince,  and  his  statue  placed  above  that  of 
the  famous  Duke  of  Chow.  The  sixth  emperor  of  the 
Tangs  founded  Han-lin  College  (a.d.  755),  the  great 
post-graduate  university  of  China. 


IV 
THE   AUGUSTAN   AGE 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

The  most  glorious  period  of  Chinese  history  is  from  6i8  to 
1 1 26  A.D.  under  the  Tang  and  Sung  Dynasties.  The  bounda- 
ries of  the  empire  were  extended  from  the  Caspian  Sea  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  Commerce  flourished  and  embassies  were 
received  from  nations  as  far  apart  as  Rome  and  Japan. 
Printing  from  blocks  was  in  use  by  the  Chinese  in  the  ninth 
century,  six  hundred  years  before  John  Gutenberg  set  up  his 
press  in  Germany,  and  it  imparted  a  powerful  stimulus  to 
bookmaking  and  to  the  founding  of  schools  and  libraries. 


TAI-TSUNG  THE   GOOD 

BY    REV.   WILLIAM   SPEER 

The  Emperor  Tai-tsung  is  celebrated  by  the  Chinese  as 
one  of  their  most  illustrious  sovereigns ;  and  he  appears 
to  have  merited  the  praises  bestowed  on  him  for  his  clem- 
ency, wisdom,  justice,  and  general  attention  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  people.  Under  the  auspices  of  this  enlightened 
prince,  learning  and  the  arts  flourished  as  in  the  ancient 
times,  and  all  the  high  offices  were  again  filled  by  men  of 
letters;  while,  in  order  to  promote  the  revival  of  litera- 
ture, which  had  so  long  been  neglected  for  war,  an  aca- 
demy was  instituted  within  the  precincts  of  the  palace, 
where  not  less  than  eight  thousand  students  received  in- 
struction from  the  most  able  professors.  Tai-tsung  also 
founded  a  great  school  for  archery,  where  he  often  at- 
tended himself  for  the  purpose  of  practicing  that  warlike 
art,  in  which  it  was  important  for  the  Chinese  to  excel,  as 
bows  and  arrows  were  their  principal  weapons.  The  min- 
isters sometimes  remonstrated  with  the  emperor  on  the 
imprudence  of  trusting  himself  among  the  archers,  but 
the  good  prince  only  rephed,  "Am  I  not  the  father  of  my 
people?  What,  then,  should  I  fear  from  my  children?" 
The  attention  of  Tai-tsung  was  constantly  directed 
toward  improving  the  condition  of  the  lower  orders, 
which  he  effected  in  a  material  degree  by  lessening  the 
taxes  and  sending  commissioners  into  all  the  provinces 
to  inquire  into  the  conduct  of  the  magistrates  and  to  see 
that  the  poor  were  not  oppressed  by  them;  for  he  often 

65 


CHINA 

expressed  the  benevolent  wish  that  every  poor  man 
should  have  enough  of  the  common  necessaries  of  life 
to  make  him  comfortable  in  his  station;  which  may 
remind  us  of  the  well-known  speech  of  Henry  the  Fourth 
of  France,  that  he  should  not  be  satisfied  till  every 
peasant  in  the  kingdom  could  afford  to  have  a  fowl  in 
his  pot  on  the  Sunday.  His  strict  sentiments  with  regard 
to  the  administration  of  justice  induced  him  to  pass  a 
law  for  the  prevention  of  bribery  by  making  it  an  offense 
punishable  with  death  for  any  magistrate  to  receive  a 
present  as  a  propitiation  in  the  exercise  of  his  power; 
and,  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  this  law  had  its  proper 
effect,  he  employed  a  person  to  offer  a  bribe  to  a  certain 
magistrate  of  whose  integrity  he  had  some  suspicion. 
The  bribe  was  accepted  and  the  guilty  magistrate  con- 
demned to  death;  but  his  life  was  saved  by  the  interfer- 
ence of  one  of  the  ministers,  who  were  always  at  liberty 
to  speak  freely  to  the  emperors  on  the  subject  of  their 
conduct.  "  Great  Prince,"  said  the  monitor,  "the  magis- 
trate is  guilty,  and  therefore  deserves  to  die,  according 
to  the  law;  but  are  not  you,  who  tempted  him  to  commit 
the  crime,  a  sharer  in  his  guilt?"  The  emperor  at  once 
admitted  that  he  was  so,  and  pardoned  the  offender. 

During  the  reign  of  Tai-tsung,  some  Christian  mis- 
sionaries of  the  Nestorian  Church  first  arrived  in  China, 
where  they  were  well  received  by  the  emperor,  who 
permitted  them  to  build  churches  and  preach  Chris- 
tianity among  the  people.  They  were  successful  in 
making  many  converts,  one  of  whom  was  a  minister 
of  state.  They  gave  to  the  Tartar  tribes  on  the  north  of 
China  their  own  Syriac  alphabet,  and  great  numbers  of 
those  people  became  Christians.  When  the  first  Roman 

66 


TAI-TSUNG  THE   GOOD 

priests  visited  China,  they  found  the  sign  of  the  cross  in 
use,  and  other  customs  which  bore  evidence  of  the  for- 
mer influence  of  the  Nestorians,  A  tablet  was  discovered 
at  the  city  of  Sin-ngan  cut  in  the  Syriac  character, 
which  relates  the  success  of  their  early  labors.  Their 
missionary  zeal  deserves  great  honor.  It  conferred  last- 
ing benefits  upon  the  nations  of  eastern  Asia. 

The  Emperor  Tai-tsung  died,  after  a  reign  of  twenty- 
three  years,  regretted  by  his  subjects,  who  looked  up  to 
him  as  a  pattern  of  wisdom  and  virtue,  and  preserved 
many  of  his  excellent  maxims,  which  are  frequently 
repeated  with  great  veneration  to  this  day.  The  succes- 
sors of  Tai-tsung  maintained  the  peace  and  prosperity 
which  had  been  estabhshed  by  that  great  prince;  and 
under  their  dominion  the  country  was  much  improved 
and  the  people  enjoyed  a  considerable  share  of  comfort 
and  tranquillity. 

Among  the  great  national  works  of  the  seventh  cen- 
tury were  several  extensive  canals  for  the  convenience 
of  inland  commerce,  with  locks  of  a  peculiar  construc- 
tion, or  slides  placed  in  embankments,  over  which  their 
flat-bottomed  vessels,  without  being  unloaded,  were 
hauled  by  ropes  attached  to  large  capstans.  By  means  of 
this  inland  communication,  trade  was  so  much  increased 
that  a  great  number  of  vessels  came  every  year  to  the 
port  of  Can-fu,  which  was  either  Canton  or  Kanpu,  near 
Hang-chau ;  and  about  the  year  700  a.d.  a  regular  market 
was  opened  there  for  foreign  merchandise,  and  an  im- 
perial commissioner  was  appointed  to  receive  the  customs 
on  all  goods  imported  from  other  countries,  which  col- 
lectively produced  a  large  revenue  to  the  Government. 


THE   RULE   OF   THE   EMPRESS  WU 

BY   S.  WELLS  WILLLAMS 

Tai-tsung  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Kau-tsung,  whose 
indolent  imbecihty  appears  the  more  despicable  after 
his  father's  vigor;  but  his  reign  fills  a  large  place  in 
Chinese  history  from  the  extraordinary  career  of  his 
empress,  "Empress  Wu,"  as  she  is  called,  who  by  her 
blandishments  obtained  entire  control  over  him.  The 
character  of  this  woman  has,  no  doubt,  suffered  much 
from  the  bad  reputation  native  historians  have  given 
her,  but  enough  can  be  gathered  from  their  accounts  to 
show  that  with  all  her  cruelty  she  understood  how  to 
maintain  the  authority  of  the  crown,  and  provide  for 
the  wants  of  the  people.  Introduced  to  the  harem  of 
Tai-tsung  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  she  was  sent  at  his 
death  to  the  retreat  where  all  his  women  were  con- 
demned for  the  rest  of  their  days  to  honorable  imprison- 
ment. While  a  member  of  the  palace,  Kau-tsung  had 
been  charmed  with  her  appearance,  and,  having  seen 
her  at  one  of  the  state  ceremonies  connected  with  the 
ancestral  worship,  brought  her  back  to  the  palace.  As 
soon  as  she  became  empress,  Wu  began  gradually  to 
assume  more  and  more  authority,  until,  long  before  the 
emperor's  death  in  684,  she  engrossed  the  whole  manage- 
ment of  affairs,  and  at  his  demise  openly  assumed  the 
reins  of  government,  which  she  wielded  for  twenty-one 
years  with  no  weak  hand.  Her  generals  extended  the 
limits  of  the  empire,  and  her  officers  carried  into  effect 

68 


THE  RULE  OF   THE  EMPRESS  WU 

her  orders  to  alleviate  the  miseries  of  the  people.  Her 
cruelty  vented  itself  in  the  murder  of  all  who  opposed 
her  will,  even  to  her  own  sons  and  relatives;  and  her 
pride  was  rather  exhibited  than  gratified  by  her  assum- 
ing the  titles  of  Queen  of  Heaven,  Holy  and  Divine 
Ruler,  Holy  Mother,  and  Divine  Sovereign.  When  she 
was  disabled  by  age,  her  son,  supported  by  some  of  the 
first  men  of  the  land,  asserted  his  claim  to  the  throne, 
and  by  a  palace  conspiracy  succeeded  in  removing  her 
to  her  own  apartments,  where  she  died,  aged  eighty-one 
years. 


THE  FOUNDING  OF  HAN-LIN   COLLEGE 

BY   REV.   WILLIAM   SPEER 

The  sixth  emperor  of  the  Tang  Dynasty  founded  the 
Han-lin  College,  the  leading  Hterary  institution  of  the 
Chinese  Empire,  consisting  of  forty  members,  from 
whose  number  the  ministers  of  state  are  generally 
chosen,  and  from  whom  all  successful  candidates  for 
honors  receive  their  degrees.  The  members  of  the  Han- 
lin  are  mentioned  in  old  histories  as  the  learned  doctors 
of  the  empire,  and  in  fact  possessed  quite  as  much 
knowledge  in  those  days  as  they  do  now;  for  the  mem- 
bers of  the  present  day  are  all  educated  according  to  the 
ancient  system,  nor  have  any  new  branches  of  learning, 
until  recently,  been  introduced  into  the  schools  of  China; 
yet,  when  the  Han-lin  College  was  founded,  the  Chinese 
were  far  in  advance  of  the  Europeans,  both  in  knowledge 
and  refinement,  for  the  modern  nations  of  Europe  were 
then  only  just  emerging  from  the  barbarism  into  which 
they  had  been  plunged  by  the  conquests  of  the  Gothic 
tribes.  England  was  divided  among  the  princes  of  the 
Heptarchy,  and  France  was  in  that  rude  state  which 
preceded  the  reign  of  Charlemagne. 

It  may  be  imagined  that  only  a  very  small  propor- 
tion of  the  boys  in  any  school  were  gifted  with  such 
great  talents  as  would  entitle  them  to  attain  prefer- 
ment; therefore,  of  the  many  who  presented  themselves 
as  candidates  for  honors  at  the  hall  of  their  province, 
where  an  examination  was  held  once  a  year,  very  few 

70 


THE  FOUNDING   OF  HAN-LIN  COLLEGE 

perhaps  were  chosen ;  and  those  had  to  pass  other  exam- 
inations by  doctors  of  a  higher  degree  before  they  were 
eligible  to  be  appointed  to  offices  of  state.  Still,  each 
aspirant  had  a  chance,  and  as  the  object  was  so  impor- 
tant, great  pains  were  taken  to  instill  into  the  minds  of 
youth  a  due  sense  of  the  value  of  learning;  and  many 
little  stories,  written  with  that  intent,  were  read  to 
children  as  soon  as  they  were  of  an  age  to  comprehend 
them.  These  juvenile  tales  are  mostly  very  simple,  but 
are  not  uninteresting  as  illustrations  of  the  character 
and  manners  of  the  people.  The  following  are  specimens 
of  their  general  style:  "There  was  a  boy  whose  father 
was  so  poor  that  he  could  not  afiford  to  send  him  to 
school,  but  was  obliged  to  make  him  work  all  day  in  the 
fields  to  help  to  maintain  his  family.  The  lad  was  so 
anxious  to  learn  that  he  proposed  giving  up  a  part  of  the 
night  to  study ;  but  as  his  mother  had  not  the  means  of 
supplying  him  with  a  lamp  for  that  purpose,  he  brought 
home  every  evenihg  a  glowworm,  which,  being  held  in  a 
thin  piece  of  gauze  and  applied  to  the  lines  of  a  book, 
gave  sufficient  light  to  enable  him  to  read;  and  thus  he 
acquired  so  much  knowledge  that  in  course  of  time  he 
became  a  minister  of  state,  and  supported  his  parents 
with  ease  and  comfort  in  their  old  age." 

Another  youth,  who  was  rather  dull  of  intellect,  found 
it  a  very  laborious  task  to  apply  himself  to  learning  and 
made  such  slow  progress  that  he  was  often  rather  dis- 
heartened; yet  he  was  not  idle,  and  for  several  years 
continued  to  study  with  unceasing  diligence.  At 
length  the  time  arrived  for  his  examination,  and  he 
repaired  with  many  others  to  the  hall  of  the  province, 
where  he  had  the  mortification,  after  all  his  exertions,  of 

71 


CHINA 

being  dismissed  as  unqualified  to  pass.  In  returning 
homeward,  very  much  depressed  in  spirits  and  thinking 
it  would  be  better  to  give  up  literary  pursuits  altogether 
and  turn  his  attention  to  some  other  employment,  he 
happened  to  see  an  old  woman  busily  employed  in 
rubbing  an  iron  pestle  on  a  whetstone.  "What  are  you 
doing  there,  good  mother?"  said  he.  "I  am  grinding 
down  this  pestle,"  replied  the  old  dame,  "till  it  becomes 
sharp  enough  to  use  for  working  embroidery,"  and  she 
continued  her  employment.  Li-pi,  —  such  was  the  name 
of  the  student,  —  struck  with  the  patience  and  perse- 
verance of  the  woman,  applied  her  answer  to  his  own 
case.  "She  will  no  doubt  succeed  at  last,"  said  he; 
"then  why  should  I  despair?"  So  he  returned  to  his 
studies,  and  in  a  few  years,  on  appearing  again  before 
the  board,  he  acquitted  himself  so  well  that  he  passed 
with  honor  and  rose  in  time  to  one  of  the  highest  ofl5ces 
in  the  state. 

These  short  and  simple  tales,  of  which  the  Chinese 
have  whole  volumes,  serve  to  show  the  bias  they  have 
endeavored  to  give  to  the  minds  of  their  children,  and 
account  for  the  studious  habits  of  so  large  a  portion  of 
the  community. 


THE  BINDING  OF  FEET 

BY   REV.   WILLIAM   SPEER 

It  was  about  this  period  that  the  strange  custom  was 
first  adopted  in  China  of  binding  the  feet  of  female 
children  to  prevent  their  growth.  The  origin  of  this 
absurd  and  unnatural  practice  is  unknown,  nor  is  it 
easy  to  imagine  what  could  have  induced  women  in  the 
first  instance  thus  to  deform  themselves;  for,  although 
vanity  may  be  a  powerful  incitement  for  the  continu- 
ance of  a  custom  which  distinguishes  the  higher  from  the 
lower  classes,  it  hardly  accounts  for  the  first  introduc- 
tion of  this  practice,  as  any  other  distinctive  mark,  less 
painful  and  less  inconvenient,  might  have  answered  the 
same  purpose.  The  daughters  of  all  people  of  rank  are 
obliged  to  submit  at  an  early  age  to  have  their  feet 
cramped  up  and  confined  with  bandages,  which  are  not 
removed  for  about  three  years,  when  the  bones  are  so 
far  compressed  that  the  feet  never  assume  their  natural 
shape  and  size.  The  health  of  the  children  generally 
suffers  much  from  the  want  of  proper  exercise  during 
this  cruel  process;  and  the  enjoyment  of  after  fife  must 
be  greatly  diminished  by  the  difficulty  which  females 
find  in  walking  or  even  standing  without  support.  Yet 
they  are  proud  of  their  very  helplessness,  and  would 
think  it  excessively  vulgar  to  be  able  to  walk  with  a 
firm  and  dignified  step.  The  lower  classes  cannot  follow 
a  fashion  which  would  disable  them  from  pursuing  their 
daily  labors;  yet  many  parents  in  a  very  humble  station 

73 


CHINA 

of  life  are  not  free  from  the  vanity  of  desiring  to  have 
one  daughter  with  small  feet,  the  prettiest  child  being 
usually  selected  for  that  distinction;  and  such  is  the 
force  of  fashion  that  the  little  damsel  who  is  thus  tor- 
tured and  crippled  is  looked  upon  as  an  object  of  envy 
rather  than  of  pity. 


PRINTING 

BY   REV.   WILLIAM   SPEER 

It  was  in  the  ninth  century  that  printing  began  to  be 
practiced  in  China  —  an  event  which  occurred  about 
five  hundred  years  before  that  art  was  known  in  Europe. 
The  method  first  adopted  in  China  was  to  engrave  the 
characters  on  stone ;  consequently,  when  the  impression 
was  taken  off,  the  ground  of  the  paper  was  black  and  the 
letters  were  white.  But  this  mode  was  shortly  super- 
seded by  the  invention  of  wooden  blocks,  cut  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  letters  were  raised  instead  of  indented, 
and  thus  were  impressed  in  black  on  a  white  ground. 
This  mode  of  printing  from  wood  is  still  practiced  in 
China,  and  is  well  adapted  to  the  written  language  of 
the  Chinese,  as  its  words  are  not  formed  of  vowels  and 
consonants,  like  those  of  Western  languages,  but  a 
single  character,  of  which  there  are  many  thousands, 
expresses  a  whole  word.  Yet  it  is  necessarily  very  slow; 
and  for  this  reason  must  yield  in  the  end  to  the  use  of 
divisible  metal  type  and  of  our  swift  machinery.  The 
superior  beauty  of  the  typography  of  our  books  already 
wins  the  wonder  and  praise  of  the  Chinese.  Before  the 
invention  of  printing  there  must  have  been  a  vast  num- 
ber of  Chinese  constantly  employed  in  writing,  as  they 
were  always  a  reading  people,  and  even  the  poorest 
peasants  were  able  to  obtain  books  in  manuscript,  while 
in  Europe  a  book  was  a  thing  unknown  among  the  lower 
classes,  and  seldom  to  be  met  with  except  in  monasteries 
or  the  palaces  of  princes. 

75 


V 

THE   COMING   OF   THE 
TARTARS 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

The  Tartars  or  Mongols  are  in  some  respects  the  most 
remarkable  race  that  has  inhabited  the  world.  Their  armies, 
the  mightiest  that  have  ever  been  gathered  together,  con- 
quered, and  ruled  an  empire  the  greatest  in  population  and 
extent  that  has  ever  existed.  They  bore  their  ox-hide  ban- 
ners over  every  state  of  Europe  and  Asia,  save  Spain,  Eng- 
land and  Japan,  and  for  more  than  a  thousand  years  terror- 
ized a  great  part  of  the  human  race.  The  toll  of  lives  taken 
by  Jenghiz  Khan  alone  is  reckoned  at  four  and  one-half 
million. 

The  Tartars  had  been  the  torment  of  China  for  many  ages, 
and  during  the  tenth  and  eleventh  centuries  they  had  become 
much  more  powerful.  In  926  the  Khitan  Tartars  helped  to 
overthrow  one  of  the  Chinese  dynasties;  but  when  the  new 
ruler  came  to  the  throne,  they  claimed  their  reward,  sixteen 
cities  and  an  annual  tribute  of  three  hundred  thousand  taels 
of  silver  (about  $280,000)  and  a  great  number  of  pieces  of 
silk.  Neither  arms  nor  tribute  nor  the  gift  of  princesses 
availed,  and  early  in  the  twelfth  century  the  Chinese  invited 
the  Kin  Tartars,  the  ancestors  of  the  present  Manchus,  to 
drive  the  Khitans  from  a  province  that  they  had  seized.  The 
Kin  had  not  the  slightest  objection  to  performing  this  neigh- 
borly office.  They  drove  the  Khitans  out,  but  they  kept  the 
province  for  themselves.  One  Chinese  ruler  tried  his  best  to 
gain  their  good  will  by  flattery.  When  he  addressed  their 
chief,  he  spoke  of  himself  as  Chin,  that  is,  "your  servant'; 
but  even  this  humility  did  not  win  them,  and  they  pushed 
on  their  conquests  to  the  Yang-tze-kiang  River. 


THE  TARTARS  AND   THEIR   CUSTOMS 

BY   MARCO   POLO 

To  the  north  of  China  lived  the  Tartars,  a  wild,  savage, 
wandering  tribe.  Their  custom  is  to  spend  the  winter 
in  warm  plains,  where  they  find  good  pasture  for  their 
cattle,  whilst  in  summer  they  betake  themselves  to  a 
cool  cKmate  among  the  mountains  and  valleys,  where 
water  is  to  be  found  as  well  as  woods  and  pastures. 

Their  houses  are  circular,  and  are  made  of  wands 
covered  with  felt.  These  are  carried  along  with  them 
whithersoever  they  go;  for  the  wands  are  so  strongly 
bound  together  and  likewise  so  well  combined  that  the 
frame  can  be  made  very  light.  Whenever  they  erect 
these  huts  the  door  is  always  to  the  south.  They  also 
have  wagons  covered  with  black  felt  so  efficaciously  that 
no  rain  can  get  in.  These  are  drawn  by  oxen  and  camels, 
and  the  women  and  children  travel  in  them.  The  women 
do  the  buying  and  selling,  and  whatever  is  necessary  to 
provide  for  the  husband  and  household;  for  the  men  all 
lead  the  life  of  gentlemen,  troubfing  themselves  about 
nothing  but  hunting  and  hawking  and  looking  after 
their  goshawks  and  falcons,  unless  it  be  the  practice  of 
warHke  exercises. 

They  live  on  the  milk  and  meat  which  their  herds 
supply,  and  on  the  produce  of  the  chase;  and  they  eat 
all  kinds  of  flesh,  including  that  of  horses  and  dogs,  and 
Pharaoh's  rats  [the  jerboa],  of  which  last  there  are  great 
numbers  in  burrows  on  those  plains.  Their  drink  is 
mares'  milk. 

79 


CHINA 

This  is  the  fashion  of  their  religion:  They  say  there  is 
a  Most  High  God  of  Heaven,  whom  they  worship  daily 
with  thurible  and  incense;  but  they  pray  to  him  only  for 
health  of  mind  and  body.  But  they  have  also  a  certain 
other  god  of  theirs,  called  Natigay,  and  they  say  he  is  the 
god  of  the  earth,  who  watches  over  their  children,  cattle, 
and  crops.  They  show  him  great  worship  and  honor,  and 
every  man  hath  a  figure  of  him  in  his  house,  made  of  felt 
and  cloth;  and  they  also  make  in  the  same  manner 
images  of  his  wife  and  children.  The  wife  they  put  on 
the  left  hand  and  the  children  in  front.  And  when  they 
eat,  they  take  the  fat  of  the  meat  and  grease  the  god's 
mouth  withal,  as  well  as  the  mouths  of  his  wife  and 
children.  Then  they  take  of  the  broth  and  sprinkle  it 
before  the  door  of  the  house;  and  that  done,  they  deem 
that  their  god  and  his  family  have  had  their  share  of  the 
dinner. 

The  clothes  of  the  wealthy  Tartars  are  for  the  most 
part  of  gold  and  silk  stuffs,  Hned  with  costly  furs,  such 
as  sable  and  ermine,  vair,  and  fox-skin,  in  the  richest 
fashion. 

All  their  harness  of  war  is  excellent  and  costly.  Their 
arms  are  bows  and  arrows,  sword  and  mace;  but  above 
all  the  bow,  for  they  are  capital  archers;  indeed,  the  best 
that  are  known.  On  their  backs  they  wear  armor  of 
cuir-bouilli,  prepared  from  buffalo  and  other  hides, 
which  is  very  strong.  They  are  excellent  soldiers  and 
passing  valiant  in  battle.  They  are  also  more  capable  of 
hardship  than  other  nations;  for  many  a  time,  if  need 
be,  they  will  go  for  a  month  without  any  supply  of  food, 
living  only  on  the  milk  of  their  mares  and  on  such  game 
as  their  bows  may  win  them.  Their  horses  also  will  sub- 

80 


THE  TARTARS  AND  THEIR  CUSTOMS 

sist  entirely  on  the  grass  of  the  plains,  so  that  there  is 
no  need  to  carry  store  of  barley  or  straw  or  oats;  and 
they  are  very  docile  to  their  riders.  These,  in  case  of 
need,  will  abide  on  horseback  the  livelong  night,  armed 
at  all  points,  while  the  horse  will  be  continually  grazing. 

Of  all  troops  in  the  world  these  are  they  which  endure 
the  greatest  hardship  and  fatigue,  and  which  cost  the 
least ;  and  they  are  the  best  of  all  for  making  wide  con- 
quests of  country.  And  this  you  will  perceive  from  what 
you  have  heard  and  shall  hear  in  this  book;  and  (as  a 
fact)  there  can  be  no  manner  of  doubt  that  now  they  are 
the  masters  of  the  biggest  half  of  the  world.  Their 
troops  are  admirably  ordered  in  the  manner  that  I  shall 
now  relate. 

You  see,  when  a  Tartar  prince  goes  forth  to  war,  he 
takes  with  him,  say,  one  hundred  thousand  horse.  Well, 
he  appoints  an  officer  to  every  ten  men,  one  to  every 
hundred,  one  to  every  thousand,  and  one  to  every  ten 
thousand,  so  that  his  own  orders  have  to  be  given  to  ten 
persons  only,  and  each  of  these  ten  persons  has  to  pass 
the  orders  to  other  ten,  and  so  on;  no  one  having  to  give 
orders  to  more  than  ten.  And  every  one  in  turn  is  re- 
sponsible only  to  the  officer  immediately  over  him ;  and 
the  discipline  and  order  that  comes  of  this  method  is 
marvelous,  for  they  are  a  people  very  obedient  to  their 
chiefs.  And  when  the  army  is  on  the  march,  they  have 
always  two  hundred  horsemen,  very  well  mounted,  who 
are  sent  a  distance  of  two  marches  in  advance  to  recon- 
noitre, and  these  always  keep  ahead.  They  have  a 
similar  party  detached  in  the  rear  and  on  either  flank, 
so  that  there  is  a  good  lookout  kept  on  all  sides  against  a 
surprise.  When  they  are  going  on  a  distant  expedition, 

8i 


CHINA 

they  take  no  gear  with  them  except  two  leather  bottles 
for  milk,  a  little  earthenware  pot  to  cook  their  meat  in, 
and  a  little  tent  to  shelter  them  from  rain.  And  in  case 
of  great  urgency  they  will  ride  ten  days  on  end  without 
lighting  a  fire  or  taking  a  meal.  On  such  an  occasion 
they  will  sustain  themselves  on  the  blood  of  their  horses, 
opening  a  vein  and  letting  the  blood  jet  into  their 
mouths,  drinking  till  they  have  had  enough,  and  then 
stanching  it. 

They  have  also  milk  dried  into  a  kind  of  paste  to  carry 
with  them;  and  when  they  need  food  they  put  this  in 
water  and  beat  it  up  till  it  dissolves,  and  then  drink  it. 
It  is  prepared  in  this  way:  they  boil  the  milk,  and  when 
the  rich  part  floats  on  the  top,  they  skim  it  into  another 
vessel,  and  of  that  they  make  butter;  for  the  milk  will 
not  become  solid  till  this  is  removed.  Then  they  put  the 
milk  in  the  sun  to  dry.  And  when  they  go  on  an  expedi- 
tion, every  man  takes  some  ten  pounds  of  this  dried  milk 
with  him.  And  of  a  morning  he  will  take  a  half-pound 
of  it  and  put  it  into  his  leather  bottle  with  as  much 
water  as  he  pleases.  So,  as  he  rides  along,  the  milk- 
paste  and  the  water  in  the  bottle  get  well  churned  to- 
gether into  a  kind  of  pap,  and  that  makes  his  dinner. 

When  they  come  to  an  engagement  with  the  enemy, 
they  will  gain  the  victory  in  this  fashion:  They  never 
let  themselves  get  into  a  regular  medley,  but  keep  per- 
petually riding  round  and  shooting  into  the  enemy. 
And,  as  they  do  not  count  it  any  shame  to  run  away  in 
battle,  they  will  sometimes  pretend  to  do  so,  and  in 
running  away  they  turn  in  the  saddle  and  shoot  hard 
and  strong  at  the  foe,  and  in  this  way  make  great  havoc. 
Their  horses  are  trained  so  perfectly  that  they  will 

82 


THE  TARTARS   AND   THEIR  CUSTOMS 

double  hither  and  thither,  just  like  a  dog,  in  a  way  that 
is  quite  astonishing.  Thus  they  fight  to  as  good  purpose 
in  running  away  as  if  they  stood  and  faced  the  enemy, 
because  of  the  vast  volleys  of  arrows  that  they  shoot  in 
this  way,  turning  round  upon  their  pursuers,  who  are 
fancying  that  they  have  won  the  battle.  But  when  the 
Tartars  see  that  they  have  killed  and  wounded  a  good 
many  horses  and  men,  they  wheel  round  bodily,  and 
return  to  the  charge  in  perfect  order  and  with  loud 
cries;  and  in  a  very  short  time  the  enemy  are  routed. 
In  truth  they  are  stout  and  valiant  soldiers  and  inured  to 
war.  And  you  perceive  that  it  is  just  when  the  enemy  sees 
them  run  and  imagines  that  he  has  gained  the  battle, 
that  he  has  in  reahty  lost  it;  for  the  Tartars  wheel  round 
in  a  moment  when  they  judge  the  right  time  has  come. 
And  after  this  fashion  they  have  won  many  a  fight. 

All  this  that  I  have  been  telling  you  is  true  of  the  man- 
ners and  customs  of  the  genuine  Tartars.  But  I  must 
add  that  in  these  days  they  are  greatly  degenerated ;  for 
those  who  are  settled  in  Cathay  have  taken  up  the 
practices  of  the  idolaters  of  the  country,  and  have  aban- 
doned their  own  institutions;  whilst  those  who  have 
settled  in  the  Levant  have  adopted  the  customs  of  the 
Saracens. 

The  way  they  administer  justice  is  this:  When  any 
one  has  committed  a  petty  theft,  they  give  him,  under 
the  orders  of  authority,  seven  blows  of  a  stick,  or  seven- 
teen, or  twenty-seven,  or  thirty-seven,  or  forty-seven, 
and  so  forth,  always  increasing  by  tens  in  proportion  to 
the  injury  done,  and  running  up  to  one  hundred  and 
seven.  Of  these  beatings  sometimes  they  die.  But  if  the 
offense  be  horse-steaUng  or  some  other  great  matter, 

83 


CHINA 

they  cut  the  thief  in  two  with  a  sword.  Howbeit,  if  he 
be  able  to  ransom  himself  by  paying  nine  times  the 
value  of  the  thing  stolen,  he  is  let  off.  Every  lord  or 
other  person  who  possesses  beasts  has  them  marked 
with  his  peculiar  brand,  be  they  horses,  mares,  camels, 
oxen,  cows,  or  other  great  cattle,  and  then  they  are  sent 
abroad  to  graze  over  the  plains  without  any  keeper. 
They  get  all  mixed  together,  but  eventually  every  beast 
is  recovered  by  means  of  its  owner's  brand,  which  is 
known.  For  their  sheep  and  goats  they  have  shepherds. 
All  their  cattle  are  remarkably  fine,  big,  and  in  good 
condition. 

They  have  another  notable  custom,  which  is  this:  If 
any  man  have  a  daughter  who  dies  before  marriage,  and 
another  man  have  had  a  son  also  die  before  marriage, 
the  parents  of  the  two  arrange  a  grand  wedding  between 
the  dead  lad  and  lass.  And  marry  them  they  do,  making 
a  regular  contract!  And  when  the  contract  papers  are 
made  out,  they  put  them  into  the  fire,  in  order  (as  they 
will  have  it)  that  the  parties  in  the  other  world  may 
know  the  fact,  and  so  look  on  each  other  as  man  and 
wife.  And  the  parents  thenceforth  consider  themselves 
sib  to  each  other,  just  as  if  their  children  had  lived  and 
married.  Whatever  may  be  agreed  on  between  the 
parties  as  dowry,  those  who  have  to  pay  it  cause  to  be 
painted  on  pieces  of  paper  and  then  put  these  into  the 
fire,  saying  that  in  that  way  the  dead  person  will  get  all 
the  real  articles  in  the  other  world. 


THE   CHINESE   THEATER 

BY   ARCHIBALD    LITTLE 

When  traveling  in  China  through  the  scenes  made 
famous  in  song  and  history,  I  have  been  astonished  at 
the  accurate  knowledge  of  the  old  wars  and  dynasties 
displayed  by  ilUterate  boatmen  on  the  river  and  by  our 
porters  on  land  journeys.  They  are  never  tired  of  point- 
ing out  historic  sites  to  the  foreign  traveler,  and  expati- 
ating upon  the  great  deeds  of  former  generations.  It  was 
a  long  time  before  I  could  learn  whence  these  men 
derived  their  knowledge,  so  far  surpassing  the  acquaint- 
ance with  history  displayed  by  similar  classes  in  our  own 
country.  I  at  last  discovered  that  they  had  learned 
their  history  in  that  pleasantest  and  most  impressive  of 
all  schools,  the  theater.  Elaborate  historical  dramas 
form  the  bulk  of  the  performances  given  in  the  public 
theater,  which  almost  every  village  in  China  possesses, 
by  companies  of  strolling  players  who  are  paid  by  sub- 
scriptions from  the  more  wealthy  inhabitants. 

These  companies  are  generally  hired  for  a  week  or  a 
fortnight.  The  performance  commences  at  noon,  and 
goes  on  till  about  nine  at  night.  The  extraordinary 
endurance  of  the  actors,  an  endurance  characteristic  of 
the  Chinese  in  all  their  avocations,  is  shown  by  the  long 
successive  hours  they  spend  upon  the  stage.  And  as  all 
the  important  pieces  are  sung  to  the  accompaniment  of 
the  band,  how  they  support  the  strain  upon  the  voice  is 
almost  incomprehensible.   They  have  a  large  repertoire 

8s 


CHINA 

which  they  carry  in  their  heads.  Many  of  them  have 
no  books  of  the  plays.  They  are  apprenticed  as  children, 
and  so  learn  the  pieces  by  rote  at  an  age  when  the  mem- 
ory is  especially  vigorous.  A  mark  of  attention  to  a 
distinguished  visitor  is  to  hand  him  the  repertoire,  and 
ask  him  to  choose  a  play  out  of  some  hundred  pieces 
contained  therein.  I  have  often  selected  an  unpopular 
and  seldom-performed  play,  and  never  found  the  test 
too  much  for  them,  the  piece  being  produced  immedi- 
ately; on  the  other  hand,  should  a  play  on  the  pro- 
gramme happen  to  contain  a  character  of  the  same 
name  as  that  of  the  visitor,  it  is  at  once  suppressed. 
Although  there  is  no  scenery,  the  dresses  are  extremely 
handsome,  elaborate  embroideries  being  worn  by  princes 
and  generals,  and  generally  the  dressing  and  get-up  are 
careful  and  accurate.  There  is  no  curtain  and  no  drop- 
scene.  And,  curiously  enough,  there  is  no  interval  be- 
tween successive  plays,  only  a  peculiar  note  is  sounded 
on  the  cymbals,  a  signal  known  to  the  initiated.  This 
has  led  Europeans  to  state  that  a  Chinese  play  went  on 
forever.  It  is  true  that  sometimes,  when  a  succession  of 
historical  plays  is  given,  the  same  story  may  go  on  for 
three  or  four  successive  days.  There  is,  moreover,  one 
celebrated  play  which  has  no  less  than  twenty-four  acts; 
as  a  rule,  however,  the  Hghter  Chinese  pieces  are  even 
shorter  than  ours. 

While  theatricals  are  being  performed,  the  whole  vil- 
lage is  en  fete,  all  in  their  best  clothes,  the  ladies  in  the 
galleries  with  httle  tables  on  which  are  tea  and  cakes 
and  other  delicacies,  while  famihes  in  the  wide  area  of 
the  open  pit  sit  all  day  long  with  their  tea  and  pipes, 
enjoying  themselves  in  a  way  that  it  is  a  pleasure  to  see. 

86 


THE   CHINESE   THEATER 

In  the  cities,  plays  are  given  in  the  very  handsome 
theaters  attached  to  the  guild-halls,  of  which  every 
large  trading  city  in  China  has  several.  Performances 
are  given  on  the  feast-days  of  the  guilds,  when  the  mem- 
bers are  invited  to  dinners  quite  as  elaborate  as  those 
given  by  our  own  city  companies.  The  feast,  which 
extends  over  several  hours,  is  accompanied  with  much 
ceremony  and  ancient  ritual  observances,  while  the 
plays  go  on  uninterruptedly.  A  common  penalty,  when 
disputes  are  arbitrated  by  the  guilds,  is  fining  the  de- 
fendant in  a  theatrical  performance,  which,  if  extended 
over  the  usual  three  days,  costs  about  £io,  the  average 
number  of  a  company  being  thirty  men,  female  parts 
being  all  taken  by  men  and  boys,  as  in  the  Middle  Ages. 
During  their  long  hours  of  song,  the  actors  are 
refreshed  by  means  of  shabbily  dressed  coolies,  who 
walk  casually  on  to  the  stage  and  hand  them  tea  at 
intervals,  but  whom  the  audience  are  supposed  to  regard 
as  invisible.  Rough  indications  of  scenery  are  given  in 
a  primitive  way.  A  beleaguered  general,  sitting  on  a 
chair  raised  on  a  table,  addressing  an  actor  standing  on 
the  stage,  is  supposed  to  be  parleying  with  the  com- 
mander of  the  besieging  force.  Cavalry  are  indicated 
by  a  whip  held  in  the  hand,  and  when  dismounting,  or 
mounting  to  ride  off,  they  go  through  the  action  of  be- 
striding a  horse.  The  actors  who  take  women's  parts 
speak  in  a  high  falsetto  voice,  and  in  their  make-up  and 
get-up  are  indistinguishable  from  real  women.  A  table 
covered  with  an  embroidered  cloth  may  represent  a 
throne,  or  with  plain  red  cloth  a  magistrate's  yamen. 


THE   SORROWS   OF   HAN 

[The  Tartars  realized  how  much  more  civilized  the  Chinese 

were  than  they  themselves;  and  the  savage  chief  who  had 

just  overcome  a  Chinese  force  in  battle  was  often  willing  to 

make  peace  if  a  Chinese  princess  might  be  sent  him  for  his 

wife.     It  is  upon  this  custom  that  the  following  play  is 

founded. 

With  only  two  actors  on  the  stage  of  the  theater,  there  is 

not  often  an  opportunity  to  bring  out  in  conversation  who  a 

man  is  and  what  he  is  seeking;  and  so  the  chief  characters 

have  to  make  little  speeches  and  introduce  themselves.  In 

the  prologue  to  this  play,  the  khan  of  the  Tartars  appears 

first,  declares  his  greatness  and  speaks  of  the  custom  of 

wedding  a  princess  of  China.  Then  comes  the  minister,  who 

is  bidden  to  search  out  beautiful  maidens  that  the  emperor 

may  choose  among  them.  In  Act  ii,  the  minister  declares 

that  he  has  found  the  loveliest  woman  in  the  world.    He 

admits  her  to  the  palace,  but,  as  her  father  is  too  poor  to  give 

him  a  bribe,  he  disfigures  her  portrait,  that  she  may  have  no 

chance  of  being  chosen  by  the  emperor.  Behold,  the  emperor 

enters  and  finds  her  playing  on  a  lute. 

The  Editor.] 

Emperor.  Since  the  beauties  were  selected  to  grace 
our  palace,  we  have  not  yet  discovered  a  worthy  object 
on  whom  to  fix  our  preference.  Vexed  and  disappointed, 
we  pass  this  day  of  leisure  roaming  in  search  of  her  who 
may  be  destined  for  our  imperial  choice.  [Hears  the  lute.] 
Is  not  that  some  lady's  lute? 

Attendant.  It  is.  —  I  hasten  to  advise  her  of  your 
Majesty's  approach. 

Emperor.  No,  hold!  Keeper  of  the  yellow  gate,  dis- 
cover to  what  part  of  our  palace  that  lady  pertains ;  and 


THE   SORROWS   OF   HAN 

bid  her  approach  our  presence;  but  beware  lest  you 
alarm  her. 

Attendant.  [Approaches  in  the  direction  of  the  sound 
and  speaks.]  What  lady  plays  there?  The  emperor 
comes!  Approach  to  meet  him.   [Lady  advances.] 

Emperor.  Keeper  of  the  yellow  gate,  see  that  the 
Hght  burns  brightly  within  your  gauze  lamp,  and 
hold  it  nearer  to  us. 

Lady.  [Approaching.]  Had  your  handmaid  but 
known  it  was  your  Majesty,  she  would  have  been  less 
tardy;  forgive,  then,  this  delay. 

Emperor.  Truly  this  is  a  very  perfect  beauty !  From 
what  quarter  come  such  superior  charms? 

Lady.  My  name  is  Chaouheun.  My  father  cultivates 
at  Chingtoo  the  fields  which  he  has  derived  from  his 
family.  Born  in  an  humble  station,  I  am  ignorant  of  the 
manners  that  befit  a  palace. 

Emperor.  But  with  such  uncommon  attractions,  what 
chance  has  kept  you  from  our  sight? 

Lady.  W^hen  I  was  chosen  by  the  minister  Maouyen- 
show,  he  demanded  of  my  father  an  amount  of  treasure 
which  our  poverty  could  not  supply;  he  therefore  dis- 
figured my  portrait  by  representing  a  scar  under  the 
eyes,  and  caused  me  to  be  consigned  to  seclusion  and 
neglect. 

Emperor.  Keeper  of  the  yellow  gate,  bring  us  that 
picture  that  we  may  view  it.  [Sees  the  picture]  Ah,  how 
has  he  dimmed  the  purity  of  the  gem,  bright  as  the 
waves  in  autumn.  [To  the  attendant.]  Transmit  our 
pleasure  to  the  officer  of  the  guard  to  behead  Maouyen- 
show  and  report  to  us  his  execution. 

Lady.  My  parents,  sir,  are  subject  to  the  tax  in  our 

89 


CHINA 

native  district.  Let  me  entreat  your  Majesty  to  remit 
their  contributions  and  extend  favor  towards  them ! 

Emperor.  That  shall  readily  be  done.  Approach  and 
hear  our  imperial  pleasure.  We  create  you  a  princess  of 
our  palace. 

Lady.  How  unworthy  is  your  handmaid  of  such  gra- 
cious distinction!  [Goes  through  the  form  of  returning 
thanks.]  Early  to-morrow  I  attend  your  Majesty's 
commands  in  this  place.  The  emperor  is  gone:  let  the 
attendant  close  the  doors.    I  will  retire  to  rest. 

[The  false  minister  contrives  to  escape  to  the  Tartars. 
He  shows  to  the  Tartar  khan  a  true  portrait  of  the  princess 
and  persuades  him  to  demand  her  hand  in  marriage.  The 
khan  does  this  with  the  threat  that  if  the  maiden  is  refused, 
he  will  ravage  the  country.  The  emperor's  councilors  insist 
that  for  the  sake  of  the  empire  the  princess  shall  be  given  up, 
and  at  length  the  emperor  yields. 

In  Act  III  the  princess  grieves  at  leaving  the  palace  and 
going  to  the  winds  and  snows  and  the  strange  husband  of  a 
foreign  land.  There  is  a  farewell  scene  between  her  and  the 
emperor:  ] 

Princess.  Alas !  when  shall  I  again  behold  your  Maj- 
esty? I  will  take  off  my  robes  of  distinction  and  leave 
them  behind  me.  To-day  in  the  palace  of  Han  — 
to-morrow  I  shall  be  espoused  to  a  stranger.  I  cease  to 
wear  these  splendid  vestments  —  they  shall  no  longer 
adorn  my  beauty  in  the  eyes  of  men. 

Envoy.  Again  let  us  urge  you,  princess,  to  depart;  we 
have  delayed  but  too  long  already ! 

Emperor.  'T  is  done!  —  Princess,  when  you  are  gone, 
let  your  thoughts  forbear  to  dwell  with  sorrow  and 
resentment  upon  us!  [They  part.]  And  am  I  the  great 
Monarch  of  the  Une  of  Han? 

90 


THE  SORROWS  OF  HAN 

President  of  the  Council.  Let  your  Majesty  cease  to 
dwell  with  such  grief  upon  this  subject ! 

Emperor.  She  is  gone!  In  vain  have  we  maintained 
those  armed  heroes  on  the  frontier.  Mention  but  swords 
and  spears,  and  they  tremble  at  their  hearts  like  a 
young  deer.  The  princess  has  this  day  performed  what 
belonged  to  themselves;  and  yet  they  affect  the  sem- 
blance of  men! 

President  of  the  Council.  Your  Majesty  is  entreated 
to  return  to  the  palace.  Dwell  not  so  bitterly,  sir,  on  her 
memory.  Allow  her  to  depart! 

Emperor.  Did  I  not  think  of  her,  I  had  a  heart  of  iron 
—  a  heart  of  iron !  The  tears  of  my  grief  stream  in  a 
thousand  channels  —  this  evening  shall  her  likeness  be 
suspended  in  the  palace,  where  I  will  sacrifice  to  it  — 
and  tapers  with  their  silver  lights  shall  illuminate  her 
chamber. 

President  oj  the  Council.  Let  your  Majesty  return  to 
the  palace  —  the  princess  is  already  far  distant ! 

[The  princess  is  now  seen  in  the  camp  of  the  Tartars  on  the 
bank  of  the  Amoor  River,  and  in  despair  she  throws  herself 
into  the  stream.  The  khan  refuses  to  keep  in  his  domain  such 
a  traitor  as  Maouyenshow,  and  in  Act  iv  the  minister  is 
given  over  to  the  emperor,  and  his  head  is  struck  off  as  an 
offering  to  the  shades  of  the  princess.] 


JENGHIZ  KHAN,  THE  "PERFECT  WARRIOR" 

BY   D.    PETIS   DE   LA   CROIX 

[Another  Tartar  force  was  now  coming  to  the  front.  Their 
leader  was  a  remarkable  man  whose  name  as  a  child  was 
Temuchin.  His  father  had  been  chief  of  several  tribes.  He 
died,  leaving  the  boy  of  thirteen  to  take  his  place.  Naturally, 
some  of  the  tribes  promptly  revolted;  but  the  mother  of 
Temuchin  seized  her  son's  banner  and  by  the  aid  of  those 
who  were  still  faithful,  she  brought  back  half  of  the  rebels. 
Until  the  boy  had  become  a  man  of  forty-four  years,  he  had 
to  fight  against  enemies  and  be  on  his  guard  against  traitors. 
At  length  the  time  came  when  he  felt  that  his  position  was 
secure.  He  called  together  his  chief  men  and  told  them  that 
the  fates  had  promised  him  the  rule  of  the  whole  earth.  They 
were  enthusiastic,  for  they  had  already  seen  the  ability  of 
their  leader.  He  took  the  name  of  Jenghiz  Khan,  or  "  perfect 
warrior,"  and  gave  his  people  the  name  of  Mongols,  or  "the 
bold."  He  made  laws  and  had  some  books  translated  from 
foreign  languages.  One  tribe  rose  against  him,  but  he  soon 

^^^^^^^^'-  The  Editor.] 

All  things  looked  now  as  if  he  desired  to  live  in  repose 
and  taste  the  sweets  of  that  peaceful  estate  which  by 
such  vast  fatigues  he  had  obtained ;  but  the  love  of  arms, 
the  darling  passion  of  his  soul,  permitted  him  not  to  rest, 
and  he  thought  of  nothing  else  but  how  to  find  a  pretext 
to  fall  out  with  the  Chinese,  against  whom  in  particular 
he  had  formed  some  designs. 

The  present  state  of  affairs,  all  being  now  in  peace, 
affording  him  no  means  to  quarrel,  he  sought  amongst 
the  transactions  of  past  ages  for  something  fit  to  urge 

92 


JENGHIZ  KHAN,  THE  "PERFECT  WARRIOR" 

against  them ;  and  calling  to  mind  the  injuries  the  kings 
of  China  had  heretofore  done  to  his  ancestors,  nay,  to 
his  own  father  and  people,  he  conferred  with  his 
Naevians  and  other  princes  of  his  court,  continually 
entertaining  them  with  discourses  of  the  injuries  and 
wrongs  their  fathers  had  sujffered  by  the  Chinese.  "This 
was  the  cause,"  said  he,  "that  our  country  was  looked 
upon  with  so  much  scorn,  and  despised  by  the  other 
nations  of  Asia."  In  fine,  he  excited  them  to  revenge  by 
urging  that  they  had  no  other  way  to  vindicate  their 
honor  and  make  themselves  famous  to  posterity. 
Neither  did  he  forget  to  remind  them  of  the  promise 
God  had  made  to  him,  to  assist  and  render  him  victori- 
ous over  all  his  enemies. 

The  Mogul  princes  and  lords  failed  not  to  applaud 
their  emperor's  design.  Whether  it  was  out  of  complai- 
sance or  that  they  found  it  agreeable  to  reason  and  justice 
is  not  the  question.  A  council  was  called  to  consult  on 
ways  and  means  how  to  bring  this  great  enterprise  to 
pass ;  and  it  was  resolved  that  first  of  all  an  ambassador 
be  sent  to  Altouncan,  King  of  China,  to  demand  satis- 
faction for  all  the  damages  and  injuries  done  to  the 
Moguls  by  his  predecessors,  with  orders  that  in  case  he 
refused  to  comply,  war  should  be  declared  against  him. 
For  this  purpose  they  chose  Jafer,  an  old  courtier,  a 
man  perfectly  skilled  in  state  afifairs,  and  sent  him  away 
in  the  winter  season. 

Jafer,  being  arrived  at  Cambaluc  which  was  the  old 
city  of  Peking,  one  of  the  capital  cities  of  Cathay,  had 
an  audience  of  the  king,  whom  he  accidentally  found  in 
this  city,  for  he  was  not  used  to  reside  there  but  only  in 
the  summer.    This  ambassador  made  a  long  harangue, 

93 


CHINA 

which  he  began  with  expostulating  on  his  master's 
greatness,  his  elevation  to  the  empire  of  the  Moguls  and 
Tartars,  and  the  choice  God  had  made  of  him  to  govern 
the  world.  He  afterwards  demanded  reparation  of  the 
king  for  all  the  damages  and  injuries  which  his  predeces- 
sor had  done  the  Moguls,  telHng  him  that,  if  he  refused 
to  comply  with  these  demands,  he  had  orders  to  declare 
war  against  him,  and  to  assure  him  that  Jenghiz  Khan, 
at  the  head  of  a  most  powerful  army,  would  come  and 
drive  him  out  of  his  kingdom  and  estabHsh  one  of  his 
own  children  on  his  throne. 

Jafer's  discourse  appeared  very  surprising  to  the  King 
of  China,  who  was  much  astonished  that  the  Mogul 
Emperor  should  form  such  a  design,  and  venture  to 
attack  and  begin  a  war  against  a  nation  whom  he  had 
reason  to  fear,  considering  the  great  damages  and  losses 
he  himself  confessed  his  nation  had  sustained  by  them. 
The  king  complained  to  the  ambassador,  saying,  "Your 
master  treats  me  as  if  he  thought  me  a  Turk  or  a 
Mogul,"  and  with  this  answer  he  sent  him  back,  "Go 
tell  Jenghiz  Khan  that,  although  I  cannot  hinder  him 
from  making  war  with  me,  yet  I  will  meet  him  with  an 
army  that  shall  make  him  repent  his  rashness."  Jafer 
returned  with  all  diligence  to  Caracorom,  and  gave  his 
master  an  account  of  his  negotiations,  and  the  observa- 
tion he  had  made  pursuant  to  the  orders  he  had  given 
him. 


JENGHIZ   KHAN   CAPTURES  PEKING 

BY  D.  PETIS  DE  LA  CROIX 

Although  the  King  of  China  had  put  abundance  of 
troops  into  Peking,  the  Mongols,  instigated  by  the 
Chinese  rebels  that  accompanied  them,  resolved  to  lay 
siege  to  this  city.  They  even  tried  to  take  it  by  assault; 
but  the  Prince  of  China,  to  whom  the  king  his  father 
had  entrusted  the  management  of  the  first  war,  defended 
it  so  vigorously  that  all  the  besiegers'  efforts  proved  in 
vain.  It  was  impossible  to  tell  how  many  brave  actions 
were  performed  on  both  sides  during  this  siege,  by 
reason  that  the  fate  of  China  seeming  to  depend  on  the 
good  or  ill  fortime  of  this  its  capital  city,  the  bravest 
Chinese  and  greatest  lords  of  the  empire  were  entered 
into  it  to  share  the  honor  of  the  long  and  brave  defense. 

The  great  number  of  troops  that  were  in  this  city  took 
away  from  the  besiegers  all  hope  of  taking  it  by  open 
force;  therefore  they  resolved  to  starve  it  out;  and  the 
famine  became  so  great  in  Peking  that  the  men  chose 
rather  to  eat  one  another  than  to  jield.  Notwithstand- 
ing, the  Chinese  bravery  availed  them  nothing,  for  the 
city  was  taken  by  a  stratagem,  which  being  reported  to 
the  King  of  China,  he  conceived  such  displeasure  that 
he  poisoned  himself. 

This  is  the  tale  of  the  capture :  — 

The  besiegers  suffered  so  horrible  a  famine  that  they 
were  obliged  to  decimate  the  men  and  out  of  every  ten 
kill  one  to  feed  the  other  nine.  The  besieged  defended 

95 


CHINA 

themselves  so  valiantly  with  their  arrows  and  engines 
that  when  stones  came  to  fail  the  engineers,  they  melted 
down  their  gold  and  silver,  which  were  in  great  abun- 
dance in  that  place,  and  used  it  to  shoot  against  their 
enemies;  but  at  last,  the  Moguls  having  received  a 
supply  of  provisions  and  finding  they  were  no  nearer 
taking  the  city  than  they  were  the  first  day,  undermined 
it  and  made  a  way  underground  which  reached  to  the 
middle  of  the  city,  and  in  the  night  assailed  the  Chinese, 
who,  surprised  with  a  stratagem  so  new  and  strange,  lost 
all  courage  and  were  obliged  to  surrender  the  city  to  the 
Moguls.  The  King  of  China,  beUeving  this  place  im- 
pregnable, had  shut  himself  in  it,  and  was  killed  with 
his  son.  The  Moguls  and  Tartars  who  were  entered  into 
the  city  opened  the  gates  to  those  without,  and  gave  no 
quarter  to  any  they  met  with;  and  they  plundered  it  of 
all  that  was  precious  or  valuable  and  afterwards  divided 
the  booty  according  to  Jenghiz  Khan's  law. 


THE  DIRGE   OF  JENGHIZ  KHAN 

[Jenghiz  Khan  conquered  central  Asia  from  the  Caspian 
Sea  and  the  Indus  River  to  Korea  and  the  Yang-tze-kiang. 
He  was  about  to  attack  southern  China  when  he  died,  in 
1227.  His  body  was  buried  in  his  own  country,  and  it  is  said 
that  it  was  borne  to  his  native  land  on  a  two-wheeled  wagon, 
escorted  by  his  enormous  number  of  followers.  As  they 
journeyed,  they  wept  and  wailed,  and  one  of  the  old  com- 
rades of  the  dead  warrior  chanted  a  dirge  which  has  been 
handed  down  to  this  day. 

The  Editor.] 

Whilom  thou  didst  swoop  like  a  falcon,  a  rumbling 
wagon  now  trundles  thee  off, 
O  my  King! 
Hast  thou  in  truth,  then,  forsaken  thy  wife  and  thy 
children  and  the  Diet  of  thy  people, 
O  my  King? 
Circling  in  pride  like  an  eagle  whilom  thou  didst  lead  us, 

O  my  King! 
But  now  thou  hast  stumbled  and  fallen  like  an  unbroken 
colt, 

O  my  King! 


VI 

STORIES   OF   THE   GREAT 

KHAN 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

Not  many  years  after  the  death  of  Jenghiz  Khan,  Kublai 
ascended  the  throne.  He  overcame  what  opposition  survived 
and  reigned  as  emperor  of  all  China.  Save  for  Arabia,  Hindu- 
stan, and  some  of  the  western  districts  of  Asia,  he  ruled  from 
the  Pacific  to  the  Dnieper  River,  and  from  the  Arctic  Ocean 
to  the  Straits  of  Malacca. 

There  was  much  for  these  wild  Tartars  to  learn  from  the 
Chinese.  The  Mongols  had  had  no  definite  laws.  For  in- 
stance, if  a  man  was  accused  of  crime,  he  was  tried  before 
some  oflficial,  and  if  he  was  found  guilty,  he  was  punished  as 
the  oflficial  thought  best.  Moreover,  the  Tartars  gave  nothing 
in  charity.  If  a  poor  man  begged  of  one  of  them,  he  would 
receive  the  reply,  " Go,  with  the  curse  of  God;  for  if  He  loved 
you  as  He  loves  me.  He  would  have  provided  for  you."  Many 
of  the  Tartars  now  adopted  the  religion  of  Buddha.  This 
teaches  charity  to  men  and  beasts;  for  who  could  say  but  the 
soul  of  some  one  of  a  man's  own  relatives  was  embodied  in 
the  beggar  who  pleaded  for  alms,  or  in  the  hungry  dogs  whose 
wistful  eyes  pleaded  for  a  meal? 


THE   PALACE   OF  THE   GREAT  KHAN   IN 
CAMBALUC  (PEKING) 

BY   MARCO   POLO 

[KuBLAi  Khan  was  a  good  ruler  to  the  Chinese  and  did  well 
for  the  country.  He  was  anxious  to  know  more  about  the 
rest  of  the  world,  and  when  he  was  told  that  two  merchants 
from  Venice  were  in  his  city,  he  was  delighted  and  sent  for 
them  at  once  to  ask  questions  about  their  rulers,  how  they 
lived,  how  they  went  forth  to  battle,  and  in  what  manner 
they  administered  justice.  After  these  two  merchants,  the 
Polos,  had  remained  in  China  for  some  time,  they  returned 
to  Italy.  Then  they  journeyed  eastward  again,  and  this  time 
they  brought  with  them  young  Marco,  the  son  of  one  of 
them. 

The  young  man  put  on  the  Chinese  dress  and  learned  the 
four  languages  most  used  in  the  country.  This  pleased  the 
khan,  but  something  else  pleased  him  much  more.  He  was 
hungry  to  know  about  the  distant  lands  and  the  manners 
and  customs  of  people;  but  when  his  officers  returned  from 
an  embassage,  they  had  nothing  to  say  except  to  make 
reports  of  the  business  on  which  they  had  been  sent.  "They 
are  fools  and  dolts,"  declared  the  emperor;  and  to  the  men 
themselves  he  said,  "I  had  far  liever  hearken  about  the 
strange  things  and  manners  of  the  different  countries  you 
have  seen  than  merely  be  told  of  the  business  you  went 
upon."  It  chanced  that  Marco  was  once  sent  away  on  a  busi- 
ness matter.  He  kept  his  eyes  open,  and  when  he  returned,  he 
had  a  long  story  to  tell  of  what  he  had  seen.  The  emperor 
was  delighted.  At  last  he  had  found  a  man  after  his  own 
heart.  He  sent  the  young  Venetian  on  most  important  mis- 
sions, and  listened  eagerly  to  the  lively  stories  that  he 
always  had  to  tell  on  his  return.  After  the  Polos  had  gone 
back  to  their  own  country,  Marco  wrote  a  very  interesting 

lOI 


CHINA 

book  about  his  years  in  China,  or  Cathay,  as  it  was  then 
called.  The  following  stories  are  taken  from  this  book. 

The  Editor.] 

You  must  know  that  it  is  the  greatest  palace  that  ever 
was.  It  is  all  on  the  ground  floor,  only  the  basement  is 
raised  some  ten  palms  above  the  surrounding  soil,  and 
this  elevation  is  retained  by  a  wall  of  marble  raised  to 
the  level  of  the  pavement,  two  paces  in  width  and  pro- 
jecting beyond  the  base  of  the  palace  so  as  to  form  a 
kind  of  terrace-walk,  by  which  people  can  pass  round 
the  building,  and  which  is  exposed  to  view,  whilst  on 
the  outer  edge  of  the  wall  there  is  a  very  fine  pillared 
balustrade,  and  up  to  this  the  people  are  allowed  to 
come.  The  roof  is  very  lofty,  and  the  walls  of  the  palace 
are  all  covered  with  gold  and  silver.  They  are  also 
adorned  with  representations  of  dragons,  sculptured 
and  gilt,  beasts  and  birds,  knights  and  idols,  and  sundry 
other  subjects.  And  on  the  ceiling,  too,  you  see  nothing 
but  gold  and  silver  and  painting.  On  each  of  the  four 
sides  there  is  a  great  marble  staircase  leading  to  the  top  of 
the  marble  wall  and  forming  the  approach  to  the  palace. 
The  hall  of  the  palace  is  so  large  that  it  could  easily 
dine  six  thousand  people ;  and  it  is  quite  a  marvel  to  see 
how  many  rooms  there  are  besides.  The  building  is  alto- 
gether so  vast,  so  rich,  and  so  beautiful,  that  no  man  on 
earth  could  design  anything  superior  to  it.  The  outside 
of  the  roof  also  is  all  colored  with  vermilion  and  yellow 
and  green  and  blue  and  other  hues,  which  are  fixed  with 
a  varnish  so  fine  and  exquisite  that  they  shine  like  crys- 
tal, and  lend  a  resplendent  luster  to  the  palace  as  seen 
for  a  great  way  round.  This  roof  is  made,  too,  with  such 
strength  and  solidity  that  it  is  fit  to  last  forever. 

102 


THE  PALACE  OF  THE  GREAT  KHAN 

Between  the  two  walls  of  the  enclosure  there  are  fine 
parks  and  beautiful  trees  bearing  a  variety  of  fruits. 
There  are  beasts  also  of  sundry  kinds,  such  as  white 
stags  and  fallow  deer,  gazelles,  and  roebucks,  and  fine 
squirrels  of  various  sorts,  with  numbers  also  of  the  ani- 
mal that  gives  the  musk,  and  all  manner  of  other  beauti- 
ful creatures,  insomuch  that  the  whole  place  is  full  of 
them,  and  no  spot  remains  void  except  where  there  is 
traffic  of  people  going  and  coming.  The  parks  are  cov- 
ered with  abundant  grass;  and  the  roads  through  them 
being  all  paved  and  raised  two  cubits  above  the  surface, 
they  never  become  muddy,  nor  does  the  rain  lodge  on 
them,  but  flows  off  into  the  meadows,  quickening  the 
soil  and  producing  that  abundance  of  herbage. 

From  that  corner  of  the  enclosure  which  is  toward  the 
northwest,  there  extends  a  fine  lake,  containing  foison 
of  fish  of  different  kinds  which  the  emperor  hath  caused 
to  be  put  in  there,  so  that  whenever  he  desires  any,  he 
can  have  them  at  his  pleasure.  A  river  enters  this  lake 
and  issues  from  it,  but  there  is  a  grating  of  iron  or  brass 
put  up  so  that  the  fish  cannot  escape  in  that  way. 

Moreover,  on  the  north  side  of  the  palace,  about  a 
bow-shot  off,  there  is  a  hill  which  has  been  made  by  art 
from  the  earth  dug  out  of  the  lake ;  it  is  a  good  hundred 
paces  in  height  and  a  mile  in  compass.  This  hill  is 
entirely  covered  with  trees  that  never  lose  their  leaves, 
but  remain  ever  green.  And  I  assure  you  that  wherever 
a  beautiful  tree  may  exist  and  the  emperor  gets  news  of 
it,  he  sends  for  it  and  has  it  transported  bodily  with  all 
its  roots  and  the  earth  attached  to  them,  and  planted 
on  that  hill  of  his.  No  matter  how  big  the  tree  may  be, 
he  gets  it  carried  by  his  elephants;  and  in  this  way  he 

103 


CHINA 

has  got  together  the  most  beautiful  collection  of  trees 
in  all  the  world.  And  he  has  also  caused  the  whole  hill 
to  be  covered  with  the  ore  of  azure,  which  is  very  green. 
And  thus  not  only  are  the  trees  all  green,  but  the  hill 
itself  is  all  green  likewise;  and  there  is  nothing  to  be 
seen  on  it  that  is  not  green;  and  hence  it  is  called  the 
Green  Mount;  and  in  good  sooth  't  is  named  well. 

On  the  top  of  the  hill  again  there  is  a  fine  big  palace 
which  is  all  green  inside  and  out,  and  thus  the  hill  and 
the  trees  and  the  palace  form  together  a  charming 
spectacle;  and  it  is  marvelous  to  see  their  uniformity 
of  color!  Everybody  who  sees  them  is  dehghted.  And 
the  Great  Khan  had  caused  this  beautiful  prospect  to  be 
formed  for  the  comfort  and  solace  and  delectation  of 
his  heart. 


HOW  THE  GREAT  KHAN   ATE  HIS   DINNER 

BY   MARCO   POLO 

And  when  the  Great  Khan  sits  at  table  on  any  great 
court  occasion,  it  is  in  this  fashion.  His  table  is  elevated 
a  good  deal  above  the  others,  and  he  sits  at  the  north 
end  of  the  hall,  looking  towards  the  south,  with  his 
chief  wife  beside  him  on  the  left.  On  this  right  sit  his 
sons  and  his  nephews,  and  other  kinsmen  of  the  blood 
imperial,  but  lower,  so  that  their  heads  are  on  a  level 
with  the  emperor's  feet.  And  then  the  other  barons 
sit  at  other  tables  lower  still.  So  also  with  the  women; 
for  all  the  wives  of  the  lord's  sons  and  of  his  nephews 
and  other  kinsmen  sit  at  the  lower  table  to  his'right;  and 
below  them  again  the  ladies  of  the  other  barons  and 
knights,  each  in  the  place  assigned  by  the  lord's  orders. 
The  tables  are  so  disposed  that  the  emperor  can  see  the 
whole  of  them  from  end  to  end,  many  as  they  are. 
Further,  you  are  not  to  suppose  that  everybody  sits  at 
table;  on  the  contrary,  the  greater  part  of  the  soldiers 
and  their  officers  sit  at  their  meal  in  the  hall  on  the 
carpets.  Outside  the  hall  will  be  found  more  than  forty 
thousand  people;  for  there  is  a  great  concourse  of  folk 
bringing  presents  to  the  lord,  or  come  from  foreign 
countries  with  curiosities. 

In  a  certain  part  of  the  hall  near  where  the  Great 
Khan  holds  his  table,  there  is  set  a  large  and  very  beau- 
tiful piece  of  workmanship  in  the  form  of  a  square 
coffer,  or  buffet,  about  three  paces  each  way,  exquisitely 
wrought  with  figures  of  animals,  finely  carved  and  gilt. 

105 


CHINA 

The  middle  is  hollow,  and  in  it  stands  a  great  vessel  of 
pure  gold,  holding  as  much  as  an  ordinary  butt;  and  at 
each  corner  of  the  great  vessel  is  one  of  smaller  size,  of 
the  capacity  of  a  firkin,  and  from  the  former  the  wine 
or  beverage  flavored  with  fine  and  costly  spices  is 
drawn  off  into  the  latter.  And  on  the  buffet  aforesaid 
are  set  all  the  lord's  drinking- vessels,  among  which  are 
certain  pitchers  of  the  finest  gold,  which  are  called 
verniques,  and  are  big  enough  to  hold  drink  for  eight 
or  ten  persons.  And  one  of  these  is  put  between  every 
two  persons,  besides  a  couple  of  golden  cups  with 
handles,  so  that  every  man  helps  himself  from  the 
pitcher  that  stands  between  him  and  his  neighbor.  And 
the  ladies  are  supplied  in  the  same  way.  The  value  of 
these  pitchers  and  cups  is  something  immense;  in  fact, 
the  Great  Khan  has  such  a  quantity  of  this  kind  of 
plate,  and  of  gold  and  silver  in  other  shapes,  as  no  one 
ever  before  saw  or  heard  tell  of  or  could  believe. 

There  are  certain  barons  specially  deputed  to  see  that 
foreigners,  who  do  not  know  the  customs  of  the  court, 
are  provided  with  places  suited  to  their  rank ;  and  these 
barons  are  continually  moving  to  and  fro  in  the  hall, 
looking  to  the  wants  of  the  guests  at  table,  and  causing 
the  servants  to  supply  them  promptly  with  wine,  milk, 
meat,  or  whatever  they  lack.  At  every  door  of  the  hall, 
or,  indeed,  wherever  the  emperor  may  be,  there  stand  a 
couple  of  big  men  like  giants,  one  on  each  side,  armed 
with  staves.  Their  business  is  to  see  that  no  one  steps 
upon  the  threshold  in  entering;  and  if  this  does  happen, 
they  strip  the  offender  of  his  clothes,  and  he  must  pay  a 
forfeit  to  have  them  back  again;  or  in  lieu  of  taking  his 
clothes,  they  give  him  a  certain  number  of  blows.   If 

1 06 


HOW  THE   GREAT  KHAN  ATE  HIS   DINNER 

they  are  foreigners  ignorant  of  the  order,  then  there  are 
barons  appointed  to  introduce  them,  and  explain  it  to 
them.  They  think,  in  fact,  that  it  brings  bad  luck  if 
any  one  touches  the  threshold.  Howbeit,  they  are  not 
expected  to  stick  at  this  in  going  forth  again,  for  at  that 
time  some  are  like  to  be  the  worse  for  liquor  and  in- 
capable of  looking  to  their  steps. 

And  you  must  know  that  those  who  wait  upon  the 
Great  Khan  with  his  dishes  and  his  drink  are  some  of 
the  great  barons.  They  have  the  mouth  and  nose  muf- 
fled with  fine  napkins  of  silk  and  gold,  so  that  no 
breath  nor  odor  from  their  persons  should  taint  the  dish 
or  the  goblet  presented  to  the  lord.  And  when  the 
emperor  is  going  to  drink,  all  the  musical  instruments, 
of  which  he  has  vast  store  of  every  kind,  begin  to  play. 
And  when  he  takes  the  cup,  all  the  barons  and  the  rest 
of  the  company  drop  on  their  knees  and  make  the 
deepest  obeisance  before  him,  and  then  the  emperor 
doth  drink.  But  each  time  that  he  does  so  the  whole 
ceremony  is  repeated. 

I  will  say  nought  about  the  dishes,  as  you  may  easily 
conceive  that  there  is  a  great  plenty  of  every  possible 
kind.  But  you  should  know  that  in  every  case  where  a 
baron  or  knight  dines  at  those  tables,  their  wives  also 
dine  there  with  the  other  ladies.  And  when  all  have 
dined  and  the  tables  have  been  removed,  then  come  in 
a  great  number  of  players  and  jugglers,  adepts  at  all 
sorts  of  wonderful  feats,  and  perform  before  the  emperor 
and  the  rest  of  the  company,  creating  great  diversion 
and  mirth,  so  that  everybody  is  full  of  laughter  and 
enjoyment.  And  when  the  performance  is  over,  the 
company  breaks  up  and  every  one  goes  to  his  quarters. 


HOW  KUBLAI   KHAN  WENT  A-HUNTING 

BY  MARCO   POLO 

The  Great  Khan  starts  off  on  the  first  day  of  March 
and  travels  southward  towards  the  Ocean  Sea,  a  journey 
of  two  days.  He  takes  with  him  full  ten  thousand  fal- 
coners and  some  five  hundred  gerfalcons,  besides  pere- 
grines, sakers,  and  other  hawks  in  great  numbers;  and 
goshawks  also  to  fly  at  the  waterfowl.  But  do  not 
suppose  that  he  keeps  all  these  together  by  him;  they 
are  distributed  about,  hither  and  thither,  one  hundred 
together,  or  two  hundred  at  the  utmost,  as  he  thinks 
proper.  But  they  are  always  fowling  as  they  advance, 
and  the  most  part  of  the  quarry  taken  is  carried  to  the 
emperor.  And  let  me  tell  you  when  he  goes  thus 
a-fowling  with  his  gerfalcons  and  other  hawks,  he  is 
attended  by  full  ten  thousand  men  who  are  disposed  in 
couples;  and  these  are  called  toscaol,  which  is  as  much 
as  to  say,  "watchers."  And  the  name  describes  their 
business.  They  are  posted  from  spot  to  spot,  always  in 
couples,  and  thus  they  cover  a  great  deal  of  ground. 
Every  man  of  them  is  provided  with  a  whistle  and  hood, 
so  as  to  be  able  to  call  in  a  hawk  and  hold  it  in  his  hand. 
And  when  the  emperor  makes  a  cast,  there  is  no  need 
that  he  follow  it  up,  for  those  men  I  speak  of  keep 
so  good  a  lookout  that  they  never  lose  sight  of  the 
birds,  and  if  these  have  need  of  help,  they  are  ready 
to  render  it. 
All  the  emperor's  hawks,  and  those  of  the  barons  as 
io8 


HOW  KUBLAI  KHAN  WENT  A-HUNTING 

well,  have  a  little  label  attached  to  the  leg  to  mark  them, 
on  which  is  written  the  names  of  the  owner  and  the 
keeper  of  the  bird.  And  in  this  way  the  hawk,  when 
caught,  is  at  once  identified  and  handed  over  to  its 
owner.  But  if  not,  the  bird  is  carried  to  a  certain  baron, 
who  is  styled  the  bularguchi,  which  is  as  much  as  to  say, 
''the  keeper  of  lost  property."  And  I  tell  you  that 
whatever  may  be  found  without  a  known  owner, 
whether  it  be  a  horse,  or  a  sword,  or  a  hawk,  or  what- 
not, it  is  carried  to  that  baron  straightway,  and  he  takes 
charge  of  it.  And  if  the  finder  neglects  to  carry  his 
trover  to  the  baron,  the  latter  punishes  him.  Likewise 
the  loser  of  any  article  goes  to  the  baron,  and  if  the 
thing  be  in  his  hands,  it  is  immediately  given  up  to  the 
owner.  Moreover,  the  said  baron  always  pitches  on 
the  highest  spot  of  the  camp  with  his  banner  displayed, 
in  order[that  those  who  have  lost  or  found  anything  may 
have  no  difficulty  in  finding  their  way  to  him.  Thus 
nothing  can  be  lost  but  it  shall  be  incontinently  found 
and  restored. 

And  so  the  emperor  follows  this  road  that  I  have 
mentioned,  leading  along  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Ocean 
Sea  (which  is  within  two  days'  journey  of  his  capital 
city,  Cambaluc),  and  as  he  goes  there  is  many  a  fine 
sight  to  be  seen  and  plenty  of  the  very  best  entertain- 
ment in  hawking;  in  fact,  there  is  no  sport  in  the  world 
to  equal  it! 

The  emperor  himself  is  carried  upon  four  elephants 
in  a  fine  chamber  made  of  timber,  lined  inside  with 
plates  of  beaten  gold,  and  outside  with  Hons'  skins,  for 
he  always  travels  in  this  way  on  his  fowling  expeditions 
because  he  is   troubled  with  gout.  He  always  keeps 

109 


CHINA 

beside  him  a  dozen  of  his  choicest  gerfalcons,  and  is 
attended  by  several  of  his  barons,  who  ride  on  horseback 
alongside.  And  sometimes,  as  they  may  be  going  along 
and  the  emperor  from  his  chamber  is  holding  discourse 
with  the  barons,  one  of  the  latter  shall  exclaim,  "Sire! 
look  out  for  cranes!"  Then  the  emperor  instantly  has 
the  top  of  his  chamber  thrown  open,  and  having  marked 
the  cranes,  he  casts  one  of  his  gerfalcons,  whichever  he 
pleases;  and  often  the  quarry  is  struck  within  his  view, 
so  that  he  has  the  more  exquisite  sport  and  diversion, 
there  as  he  sits  in  his  chamber  or  hes  on  his  bed ;  and  all 
the  barons  with  him  get  the  enjoyment  of  it  hkewise. 
So  it  is  not  without  reason  I  tell  you  that  I  do  not 
believe  there  ever  existed  in  the  world,  or  ever  will  exist, 
a  man  with  such  sport  and  enjoyment  as  he  has  or  with 
such  rare  opportunities. 

And  when  he  has  traveled  till  he  reaches  a  place  called 
Cachar  Modun,  there  he  finds  his  tents  pitched,  with  the 
tents  of  his  sons,  and  his  barons,  and  those  of  his  ladies 
and  theirs,  so  that  there  shall  be  full  ten  thousand  tents 
in  all,  and  all  fine  and  rich  ones.  And  I  will  tell  you  how 
his  own  quarters  are  disposed.  The  tent  in  which  he 
holds  his  courts  is  large  enough  to  give  cover  easily  to  a 
thousand  souls.  It  is  pitched  with  its  door  to  the  south, 
and  the  barons  and  knights  remain  in  waiting  in  it 
whilst  the  lord  abides  in  another  close  to  it  on  the  west 
side.  When  he  wishes  to  speak  with  any  one,  he  causes 
the  person  to  be  summoned  to  that  other  tent.  Immedi- 
ately behind  the  great  tent  there  is  a  fine  large  chamber 
where  the  lord  sleeps;  and  there  are  also  many  other 
tents  and  chambers,  but  they  are  not  in  contact  with 
the  great  tent  as  these  are.  The  two  audience  tents  and 

no 


HOW  KUBLAI  KHAN  WENT  A-HUNTING 

the  sleeping-chamber  are  constructed  in  this  way.  Each 
of  the  audience  tents  has  three  poles,  which  are  of 
spicewood,  and  are  most  artfully  covered  with  lions' 
skins,  striped  with  black  and  white  and  red,  so  that  they 
do  not  suffer  from  any  weather.  All  three  apartments 
are  also  covered  outside  with  similar  skins  of  striped 
lions,  a  substance  that  lasts  forever.  And  inside  they 
are  all  lined  with  ermine  and  sable,  these  two  being  the 
finest  and  most  costly  furs  in  existence.  For  a  robe  of 
sable,  large  enough  to  line  a  mantle,  is  worth  two  thou- 
sand bezants  of  gold,  or  one  thousand,  at  least,  and  this 
kind  of  skin  is  called  by  the  Tartars  "the  king  of  furs." 
The  beast  itself  is  about  the  size  of  a  marten.  These  two 
furs  of  which  I  speak  are  applied  and  inlaid  so  exqui- 
sitely that  it  is  really  worth  seeing.  All  the  tent  ropes  are 
of  silk.  And  in  short  I  may  say  that  those  tents,  to  wit, 
the  two  audience  halls  and  the  sleeping-chamber,  are  so 
costly  that  it  is  not  every  king  could  pay  for  them. 

Roundabout  these  tents  are  others,  also  fine  ones  and 
beautifully  pitched,  in  which  are  the  emperor's  ladies 
and  the  ladies  of  the  other  princes  and  officers.  And 
then  there  are  the  tents  for  the  hawks  and  their  keepers, 
so  that  altogether  the  number  of  tents  there  on  the  plain 
is  something  wonderful.  To  see  the  many  people  that 
are  thronging  to  and  fro  on  every  side  and  every  day 
there,  you  would  take  the  camp  for  a  good  big  city.  For 
you  must  reckon  the  leeches  and  the  astrologers  and  the 
falconers  and  all  the  other  attendants  on  so  great  a  com- 
pany; and  add  that  everybody  there  has  his  whole  fam- 
ily with  him,  for  such  is  their  custom. 

The  lord  remains  encamped  there  until  the  spring, 
and  all  thaj:  time  he  does  nothing  but  go  hawking  round- 

III 


CHINA 

about  among  the  canebrakes  along  the  lakes  and  rivers 
that  abound  in  that  region,  and  across  fine  plains  on 
which  are  plenty  of  cranes  and  swans,  and  all  sorts  of 
other  fowl.  The  other  gentry  of  the  camp  also  are  never 
done  with  hunting  and  hawking,  and  every  day  they 
bring  home  great  store  of  venison  and  feathered  game 
of  all  sorts.  Indeed,  without  having  witnessed  it,  you 
would  never  believe  what  quantities  of  game  are  taken, 
and  what  marvelous  sport  and  diversion  they  all  have 
whilst  they  are  in  camp  there. 


HOW  THE  KHAN  SENT  HIS  MESSAGES 

BY  MARCO  POLO 

Now  you  must  know  that  from  this  city  of  Cambaluc 
proceed  many  roads  and  highways  leading  to  a  variety 
of  provinces,  one  to  one  province,  another  to  another; 
and  each  road  receives  the  name  of  the  province  to 
which  it  leads;  and  it  is  a  very  sensible  plan.  And  the 
messengers  of  the  emperor  in  traveling  from  Cambaluc, 
be  the  road  whichsoever  they  will,  find  at  every  twenty- 
five  miles  of  the  journey  a  station  which  they  call 
yamb,  or,  as  we  should  say,  the  "horse  post-house." 
And  at  each  of  those  stations  used  by  the  messengers, 
there  is  a  large  and  handsome  building  for  them  to  put 
up  at,  in  which  they  find  all  the  rooms  furnished  with 
fine  beds  and  all  other  necessary  articles  in  rich  silk,  and 
where  they  are  provided  with  everything  they  can  want. 
If  even  a  king  were  to  arrive  at  one  of  these,  he  would 
find  himself  well  lodged. 

At  some  of  these  stations,  moreover,  there  shall  be 
posted  some  four  hundred  horses,  standing  ready  for  the 
use  of  the  messengers ;  at  others  there  shall  be  two  hun- 
dred, according  to  the  requirements,  and  to  what  the 
emperor  has  estabhshed  in  each  case.  At  every  twenty- 
five  miles,  as  I  said,  or  anyhow  at  every  thirty  miles,  you 
find  one  of  these  stations,  on  all  the  principal  highways 
leading  to  the  different  provincial  governments ;  and  the 
same  is  the  case  throughout  all  the  chief  provinces  sub- 
ject to  the  Great  Khan.  Even  when  the  messengers  have 

"3 


CHINA 

to  pass  through  a  roadless  tract  where  neither  house  nor 
hostel  exists,  still  there  the  station-houses  have  been 
established  just  the  same,  excepting  that  the  intervals 
are  somewhat  greater,  and  the  day's  journey  is  fixed  at 
thirty-five  to  forty-five  miles,  instead  of  twenty-five  to 
thirty.  But  they  are  provided  with  horses  and  all  the 
other  necessaries  just  like  those  we  have  described,  so 
that  the  emperor's  messengers,  come  they  from  what 
region  they  may,  find  everything  ready  for  them. 

And  in  sooth  this  is  a  thing  done  on  the  greatest  scale 
of  magnificence  that  ever  was  seen.  Never  had  emperor, 
king,  or  lord  such  wealth  as  this  manifests!  For  it  is  a 
fact  that  on  all  these  posts  taken  together  there  are 
more  than  three  hundred  thousand  horses  kept  up, 
specially  for  the  use  of  the  messengers.  And  the  great 
buildings  that  I  have  mentioned  are  more  than  ten 
thousand  in  number,  all  richly  furnished,  as  I  told  you. 
The  thing  is  on  a  scale  so  wonderful  and  costly  that  it  is 
hard  to  bring  one's  self  to  describe  it. 

But  now  I  will  tell  you  another  thing  that  I  had  for- 
gotten, but  which  ought  to  be  told  whilst  I  am  on  this 
subject.  You  must  know  that  by  the  Great  Khan's 
orders  there  has  been  established  between  those  post- 
houses,  at  every  interval  of  three  miles,  a  little  fort  with 
some  forty  houses  roundabout  it,  in  which  dwell  the 
people  who  act  as  the  emperor's  foot-runners.  Every 
one  of  those  runners  wears  a  great  wide  belt,  set  all  over 
with  bells,  so  that  as  they  run  the  three  miles  from  post 
to  post  their  bells  are  heard  jingling  a  long  way  off. 
And  thus  on  reaching  the  post  the  runner  finds  another 
man  similarly  equipped,  and  all  ready  to  take  his  place, 
who  instantly  takes  over  whatsoever  he  has  in  charge, 

114 


HOW  THE  KHAN  SENT  HIS  MESSAGES 

and  with  it  receives  a  slip  of  paper  from  the  clerk,  who 
is  always  at  hand  for  the  purpose ;  and  so  the  new  man 
sets  off  and  runs  his  three  miles.   At  the  next  station  he 
finds  his  relief  ready  in  like  manner;  and  so  the  post 
proceeds,  with  a  change  every  three  miles.  And  in  this 
way  the  emperor,  who  has  an  immense  number  of  these 
runners,  receives  dispatches  with  news  from  places  ten 
days'  journey  off  in  one  day  and  night;  or,  if  need  be, 
news  from  a  hundred  days  off  in  ten  days  and  nights; 
and  that  is  no  small  matter!  (In  fact,  in  the  fruit  season 
many  a  time  fruit  shall  be  gathered  one  morning  in 
Cambaluc,  and  the  evening  of  the  next  day  it  shall 
reach  the  Great  Khan  at  Chandu,  a  distance  of  ten 
days'  journey.  The  clerk  at  each  of  the  posts  notes  the 
time  of  each  courier's  arrival  and  departure;  and  there 
are  often  other  officers  whose  business  it  is  to  make 
monthly  visitations  of  all  the  posts,  and  to  punish  those 
runners  who  have  been  slack  in  their  work.)   The  em- 
peror exempts  these  men  from  all  tribute  and  pays 
them  besides. 

Moreover,  there  are  also  at  those  stations  other  men 
equipped  similarly  with  girdles  hung  with  bells,  who  are 
employed  for  expresses  when  there  is  a  call  for  great 
haste  in  sending  dispatches  to  any  governor  of  a  prov- 
ince, or  to  give  news  when  any  baron  has  revolted,  or  in 
other  such  emergencies;  and  these  men  travel  a  good 
two  hundred  or  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  the  day 
and  as  much  more  in  the  night.  I'll  tell  you  how  it 
stands.  They  take  a  horse  from  those  at  the  station 
which  are  standing  ready  saddled,  all  fresh  and  in  wind, 
and  mount  and  go  at  full  speed  as  hard  as  they  can  ride, 
in  fact.  And  when  those  at  the  next  post  hear  the  bells, 

"5 


CHINA 

they  get  ready  another  horse  and  a  man  equipped  in  the 
same  way,  and  he  takes  over  the  letter  or  whatever  it  be, 
and  is  off  full  speed  to  the  third  station,  where  again  a 
fresh  horse  is  found  all  ready ;  and  so  the  dispatch  speeds 
along  from  post  to  post,  always  at  full  gallop  with  regu- 
lar change  of  horses.  And  the  speed  at  which  they  go  is 
marvelous.  By  night,  however,  they  cannot  go  so  fast 
as  by  day,  because  they  have  to  be  accompanied  by 
footmen  with  torches,  who  could  not  keep  up  with  them 
at  full  speed. 

Those  men  are  highly  prized;  and  they  could  never 
do  it,  did  they  not  bind  hard  the  stomach,  chest,  and 
head  with  strong  bands.  And  each  of  them  carries  with 
him  a  gerfalcon  tablet,  in  sign  that  he  is  bound  on  an 
urgent  express;  so  that  if  perchance  his  horse  break  down 
or  he  meet  with  other  mishap,  whomsoever  he  may  fall 
in  with  on  the  road,  he  is  empowered  to  make  dismount 
and  give  up  his  horse.  Nobody  dares  refuse  in  such  a 
case;  so  that  the  courier  hath  always  a  good  fresh  nag 
to  carry  him. 

Now  all  these  numbers  of  post-horses  cost  the  em- 
peror nothing  at  all ;  and  I  will  tell  you  the  how  and  the 
why.  Every  city  or  village  or  hamlet  that  stands  near 
one  of  those  post-stations  has  a  fixed  demand  made  on 
it  for  as  many  horses  as  it  can  supply,  and  these  it  must 
furnish  to  the  post.  And  in  this  way  are  provided  all  the 
posts  of  the  cities,  as  well  as  the  towns  and  villages 
roundabout  them ;  only  in  uninhabited  tracts  the  horses 
are  furnished  at  the  expense  of  the  emperor  himself. 

Nor  do  the  cities  maintain  the  full  number,  say  of  four 
hundred  horses,  always  at  their  station,  but  month  by 
month  two  hundred  shall  be  kept  at  the  station,  and 

ii6 


HOW   THE  KHAN  SENT  HIS   MESSAGES 

the  other  two  hundred  at  grass,  coming  in  their  turn  to 
relieve  the  first  two  hundred.  And  if  there  chance  to  be 
some  river  or  lake  to  be  passed  by  the  runners  and 
horse-posts,  the  neighboring  cities  are  bound  to  keep 
three  or  four  boats  in  constant  readiness  for  the  purpose. 


THE   KING'S   MESSENGER 

BY  CHUANG  TZU,  FOURTH  CENTURY  B.C. 

Brilliant  bright  the  blossoms  glow 

On  the  level  heights  and  the  marshlands  low. 

The  Royal  Messenger  am  I! 

At  the  King's  command  I  can  swiftly  fly. 

Equipped  with  all  that  man  may  need, 
Alert,  determined  to  succeed. 

Three  teams  of  horses,  young  and  strong, 
I  have,  to  whirl  my  car  along. 

My  steeds  are  white,  or  gray,  or  pied; 
Well  skilled  am  I  each  team  to  guide. 

We  gallop  till  the  sweat-flakes  stain 
With  large  wet  spots  each  glossy  rein. 

Each  man  I  meet  without  delay 
Must  tell  me  all  he  has  to  say. 

The  realm  I  traverse  till  I  bring 
The  counsel  sought  for  by  the  King. 


THE   POLOS   TEACH  THE   KHAN   HOW  TO 
CAPTURE  A   CITY 

BY    MARCO    POLO 

Now  you  must  know  that  this  city  [Saianfu]  held  out 
against  the  Great  Khan  for  three  years  after  the  rest  of 
Manzi  [southern  China]  had  surrendered.  The  Great 
Khan's  troops  made  incessant  attempts  to  take  it,  but 
they  could  not  succeed  because  of  the  great  and  deep 
waters  that  were  roundabout  it,  so  that  they  could 
approach  from  one  side  only,  which  was  the  north.  And 
I  tell  you  they  never  would  have  taken  it  but  for  a  cir- 
cumstance that  I  am  going  to  relate. 

You  must  know  that  when  the  Great  Khan's  host  had 
lain  three  years  before  the  city  without  being  able  to 
take  it,  they  were  greatly  chafed  thereat.  Then  Messer 
Nicolo  Polo  and  Messer  Maffeo  and  Messer  Marco 
said:  ''We  could  find  you  a  way  of  forcing  the  city  to 
surrender  speedily";  whereupon  those  of  the  army 
replied  that  they  would  be  right  glad  to  know  how  that 
should  be.  All  this  talk  took  place  in  the  presence  of 
the  Great  Khan.  For  messengers  had  been  dispatched 
from  the  camp  to  tell  him  that  there  was  no  taking  the 
city  by  blockade,  for  it  continually  received  supplies  of 
victuals  from  those  sides  which  they  were  unable  to 
invest;  and  the  Great  Khan  had  sent  back  word  that 
take  it  they  must,  and  find  a  way  how.  Then  spoke  up 
the  two  brothers  and  Messer  Marco  the  son,  and  said: 
"Great  Prince,  we  have  with  us  among  our  followers 

119 


CHINA 

men  who  are  able  to  construct  mangonels  which  shall 
cast  such  great  stones  that  the  garrison  will  never  be 
able  to  stand  them,  but  will  surrender  incontinently,  as 
soon  as  the  mangonels  or  trebuchets  shall  have  shot  into 
the  town." 

The  Khan  bade  them  with  all  his  heart  have  such 
mangonels  made  as  speedily  as  possible.  Now  Messer 
Nicolo  and  his  brother  and  his  son  immediately  caused 
timber  to  be  brought,  as  much  as  they  desired,  and  fit 
for  the  work  in  hand.  And  they  had  two  men  among 
their  followers,  a  German  and  a  Nestorian  Christian, 
who  were  masters  of  that  business,  and  these  they 
directed  to  construct  two  or  three  mangonels  capable  of 
casting  stones  of  three  hundred  pounds'  weight.  Accord- 
ingly they  made  three  fine  mangonels,  each  of  which 
cast  stones  of  three  hundred  pounds'  weight  and  more. 
And  when  they  were  complete  and  ready  for.  use,  the 
emperor  and  the  others  were  greatly  pleased  to  see 
them,  and  caused  several  stones  to  be  shot  in  their 
presence;  whereat  they  marveled  greatly  and  greatly 
praised  the  work.  And  the  Khan  ordered  that  the 
engines  should  be  carried  to  his  army  which  was  at  the 
leaguer  of  Saianfu. 

And  when  the  engines  were  got  to  the  camp,  they 
were  forthwith  set  up,  to  the  great  admiration  of  the 
Tartars.  And  what  shall  I  tell  you?  When  the  engines 
were  set  up  and  put  in  gear,  a  stone  was  shot  from  each 
of  them  into  the  town.  These  took  effect  among  the 
buildings,  crashing  and  smashing  through  everything 
with  huge  din  and  commotion.  And  when  the  towns- 
people witnessed  this  new  and  strange  visitation,  they 
were  so  astonished  and  dismayed  that  they  knew  not 

1 20 


THE  POLOS  TEACH  THE  KHAN 

what  to  do  or  say.  They  took  counsel  together,  but  no 
counsel  could  be  suggested  how  to  escape  from  these 
engines,  for  the  thing  seemed  to  them  to  be  done  by 
sorcery.  They  declared  that  they  were  all  dead  men  if 
they  yielded  not,  so  they  determined  to  surrender  on 
such  conditions  as  they  could  get.  Wherefore  they 
straightway  sent  word  to  the  commander  of  the  army 
that  they  were  ready  to  surrender  on  the  same  terms  as 
the  other  cities  of  the  province  had  done,  and  to  become 
the  subjects  of  the  Great  Khan ;  and  to  this  the  captain 
of  the  host  consented. 

So  the  men  of  the  city  surrendered,  and  were  received 
to  terms;  and  this  all  came  about  through  the  exertions 
of  Messer  Nicolo  and  Messer  Maffeo  and  Messer  Marco; 
and  it  was  no  small  matter.  For  this  city  and  province 
is  one  of  the  best  that  the  Great  Khan  possesses,  and 
brings  him  in  great  revenues. 


A   CHINESE   CITY  AT  THE   END   OF  THE 
THIRTEENTH   CENTURY 

BY   MARCO   POLO 

When  you  have  left  the  city  of  Changan  and  have 
traveled  for  three  days  through  a  splendid  country, 
passing  a  number  of  towns  and  villages,  you  arrive  at 
the  most  noble  city  of  Kinsay  [Hang-chau],  a  name 
which  is  as  much  as  to  say  in  our  tongue,  "The  City  of 
Heaven." 

And  since  we  have  got  thither  I  will  enter  into  partic- 
ulars about  its  magnificence;  and  these  are  well  worth 
the  telling,  for  the  city  is  beyond  dispute  the  finest  and 
the  noblest  in  the  world.  In  this  we  shall  speak  accord- 
ing to  the  written  statement  which  the  queen  of  this 
realm  sent  to  Bay  an,  the  conqueror  of  the  country,  for 
transmission  to  the  Great  Khan,  in  order  that  he  might 
be  aware  of  the  surpassing  grandeur  of  the  city  and 
might  be  moved  to  save  it  from  destruction  or  injury.  I 
will  tell  you  all  the  truth  as  it  was  set  down  in  that  docu- 
ment. For  truth  it  was,  as  the  said  Messer  Marco  Polo 
at  a  later  date  was  able  to  witness  with  his  own  eyes. 
And  now  we  shall  rehearse  these  particulars. 

First  and  foremost,  then,  the  document  stated  the 
city  of  Kinsay  to  be  so  great  that  it  hath  an  hundred  miles 
of  compass.  And  there  are  in  it  twelve  thousand  bridges 
of  stone,  for  the  most  part  so  lofty  that  a  great  fleet 
could  pass  beneath  them.  And  let  no  man  marvel  that 

122 


A   CHINESE  CITY 

there  are  so  many  bridges,  for  you  see  the  whole  city 
stands  as  it  were  in  the  water  and  surrounded  by  water, 
so  that  a  great  many  bridges  are  required  to  give  free 
passage  about  it.  And  though  the  bridges  be  so  high,  the 
approaches  are  so  well  contrived  that  carts  and  horses 
do  cross  them. 

The  document  aforesaid  also  went  on  to  state  that 
there  were  in  this  city  twelve  guilds  of  the  different 
crafts,  and  that  each  guild  had  twelve  thousand  houses 
in  the  occupation  of  its  workmen.  Each  of  these  houses 
contains  at  least  twelve  men,  whilst  some  contain 
twenty  and  some  forty,  —  not  that  these  are  all  masters, 
but  inclusive  of  the  journeymen  who  work  under  the 
masters.  And  yet  all  these  craftsmen  had  full  occupa- 
tion, for  many  other  cities  of  the  kingdom  are  supplied 
from  this  city  with  what  they  require. 

The  document  aforesaid  also  stated  that  the  number 
and  wealth  of  the  merchants,  and  the  amount  of  goods 
that  passed  through  their  hands,  was  so  enormous  that 
no  man  could  form  a  just  estimate  thereof.  And  I  should 
have  told  you  with  regard  to  those  masters  of  the  differ- 
ent crafts  who  are  at  the  head  of  such  houses  as  I  have 
mentioned,  that  neither  they  nor  their  wives  ever  touch 
a  piece  of  work  with  their  own  hands,  but  live  as  nicely 
and  delicately  as  if  they  were  kings  and  queens.  The 
wives,  indeed,  are  most  dainty  and  angelic  creatures! 
Moreover,  it  was  an  ordinance  laid  down  by  the  king 
that  every  man  should  follow  his  father's  business  and 
no  other,  no  matter  if  he  possessed  one  hundred  thou- 
sand bezants. 

Inside  of  the  city  there  is  a  lake  which  has  a  compass 
of  some  thirty  miles:  and  all  round  it  are  erected  beau- 

123 


CHINA 

tiful  palaces  and  mansions,  of  the  richest  and  most 
exquisite  structure  that  you  can  imagine,  belonging  to 
the  nobles  of  the  city.  There  are  also  on  its  shores  many 
abbeys  and  churches  of  the  idolaters.  In  the  middle  of 
the  lake  are  two  islands,  on  each  of  which  stands  a  rich, 
beautiful,  and  spacious  edifice,  furnished  in  such  style 
as  to  seem  fit  for  the  palace  of  an  emperor.  And  when 
any  one  of  the  citizens  desired  to  hold  a  marriage  feast 
or  to  give  any  other  entertainment,  it  used  to  be  done 
at  one  of  these  palaces.  And  everything  would  be  found 
there  ready  to  order,  such  as  silver-plate,  trenchers,  and 
dishes,  napkins,  and  tablecloths,  and  whatever  else  was 
needful.  The  king  made  this  provision  for  the  gratifica- 
tion of  his  people,  and  the  place  was  open  to  every  one 
who  desired  to  give  an  entertainment.  Sometimes  there 
would  be  at  these  palaces  a  hundred  different  parties; 
some  holding  a  banquet,  others  celebrating  a  wedding; 
and  yet  all  would  find  good  accommodation  in  the  dif- 
ferent apartments  and  pavilions,  and  that  in  so  well 
ordered  a  manner  that  one  party  was  never  in  the  way 
of  another. 

The  houses  of  the  city  are  provided  with  lofty  towers 
of  stone  in  which  articles  of  value  are  stored  for  fear  of 
fire;  for  most  of  the  houses  themselves  are  of  timber,  and 
fires  are  very  frequent  in  the  city. 

The  people  are  idolaters;  and  since  they  were  con- 
quered by  the  Great  Khan  they  use  paper  money.  Both 
men  and  women  are  fair  and  comely,  and  for  the  most 
part  clothe  themselves  in  silk,  so  vast  is  the  supply  of 
that  material,  both  from  the  whole  district  of  Kinsay  and 
from  the  imports  by  traders  from  other  provinces.  And 
you  must  know  they  eat  every  kind  of  flesh,  even  that  of 

124 


A  CHINESE  CITY 

dogs  and  other  unclean  beasts,  which  nothing  would 
induce  a  Christian  to  eat. 

Since  the  Great  Khan  occupied  the  city,  he  has  or- 
dained that  each  of  the  twelve  thousand  bridges  should 
be  provided  with  a  guard  of  ten  men,  in  case  of  any 
disturbance,  or  of  any  being  so  rash  as  to  plot  treason  or 
insurrection  against  him.  Each  guard  is  provided  with 
a  hollow  instrument  of  wood  and  with  a  metal  basin, 
and  with  a  timekeeper  to  enable  them  to  know  the  hour 
of  the  day  or  night.  And  so  when  one  hour  of  the  night 
is  past,  the  sentry  strikes  one  on  the  wooden  instrument 
and  on  the  basin,  so  that  the  whole  quarter  of  the  city 
is  made  aware  that  one  hour  of  the  night  is  gone.  At  the 
second  hour,  he  gives  two  strokes,  and  so  on,  keeping 
always  wide  awake  and  on  the  lookout.  In  the  morning 
again  from  the  sunrise,  they  begin  to  count  anew,  and 
strike  one  hour  as  they  did  in  the  night,  and  so  on  hour 
after  hour. 

Part  of  the  watch  patrols  the  quarter,  to  see  if  any 
light  or  fire  is  burning  after  the  lawful  hours ;  if  they  find 
any,  they  mark  the  door,  and  in  the  morning  the  owner 
is  summoned  before  the  magistrates,  and  unless  he  can 
plead  a  good  excuse  he  is  punished.  Also  if  they  find 
any  one  going  about  the  streets  at  unlawful  hours,  they 
arrest  him,  and  in  the  morning  they  bring  him  before 
the  magistrates.  Likewise  if  in  the  daytime  they  find 
any  poor  cripple  unable  to  work  for  his  livelihood,  they 
take  him  to  one  of  the  hospitals,  of  which  there  are 
many,  founded  by  the  ancient  kings  and  endowed  with 
great  revenues.  Or  if  he  be  capable  of  work,  they  oblige 
him  to  take  up  some  trade.  If  they  see  that  any  house 
has  caught  fire,   they  immediately  beat  upon  that 

125 


CHINA 

wooden  instrument  to  give  the  alarm;  and  this  brings 
together  the  watchmen  from  the  other  bridges  to  help 
to  extinguish  it  and  to  save  the  goods  of  the  merchants 
or  others,  either  by  removing  them  to  the  towers  above 
mentioned  or  by  putting  them  in  boats  and  transporting 
them  to  the  islands  in  the  lake.  For  no  citizen  dares 
leave  his  house  at  night  or  to  come  near  the  fire,  only 
those  who  own  the  property,  and  those  watchmen  who 
flock  to  help,  of  whom  there  shall  come  one  or  two  thou- 
sand at  the  least. 

Moreover,  within  the  city  there  is  an  eminence  on 
which  stands  a  tower,  and  at  the  top  of  the  tower  is  hung 
a  slab  of  wood.  Whenever  fire  or  any  other  alarm 
breaks  out  in  the  city,  a  man  who  stands  there  with  a 
mallet  in  his  hand  beats  upon  the  slab,  making  a  noise 
that  is  heard  to  a  great  distance.  So  when  the  blows 
upon  this  slab  are  heard,  everybody  is  aware  that  fire 
has  broken  out  or  that  there  is  some  cause  of  alarm. 

All  the  streets  of  the  city  are  paved  with  stone  or 
brick,  as  indeed  are  all  the  highways  throughout  Manzi, 
so  that  you  ride  and  travel  in  every  direction  without 
inconvenience.  Were  it  not  for  this  pavement,  you  could 
not  do  so,  for  the  country  is  very  low  and  flat,  and  after 
rain  it  is  deep  in  mire  and  water.  But  as  the  Great 
Khan's  couriers  could  not  gallop  their  horses  over  the 
pavement,  the  side  of  the  road  is  left  unpaved  for  their 
convenience.  The  pavement  of  the  main  street  of  the 
city  also  is  laid  out  in  two  parallel  ways  of  ten  paces  in 
width  on  either  side,  leaving  a  space  in  the  middle  laid 
with  fine  gravel,  under  which  are  vaulted  drains  which 
convey  the  rain  water  into  the  canals;  and  thus  the  road 
is  kept  ever  dry. 

126 


A  CHINESE  CITY 

You  must  know  also  that  the  city  of  Kinsay  has  some 
three  thousand  baths,  the  water  of  which  is  suppHed  by 
springs.  They  are  hot  baths,  and  the  people  take  great 
delight  in  them,  frequenting  them  several  times  a 
month,  for  they  are  very  cleanly  in  their  persons.  They 
are  the  finest  and  largest  baths  in  the  world;  large 
enough  for  one  hundred  persons  to  bathe  together.  .  .  . 

When  any  one  dies,  the  friends  and  relations  make  a 
great  mourning  for  the  deceased,  and  clothe  themselves 
in  hempen  garments,  and  follow  the  corpse,  playing  on 
a  variety  of  instruments  and  singing  hymns  to  their 
idols.  And  when  they  come  to  the  burning-place,  they 
take  representations  of  things  cut  out  of  parchment, 
such  as  caparisoned  horses,  male  and  female  slaves, 
camels,  armor,  suits  of  cloth  of  gold,  and  money  in 
great  quantities,  and  these  things  they  put  on  the  fire 
along  with  the  corpse,  so  that  they  are  all  burnt  with  it. 
And  they  tell  you  that  the  dead  man  shall  have  all  these 
slaves  and  animals  of  which  the  effigies  are  burnt,  alive 
in  flesh  and  blood,  and  the  money  in  gold,  at  his  disposal 
in  the  next  world ;  and  that  the  instruments  which  they 
have  caused  to  be  played  at  his  funeral  and  the  idol 
hymns  that  have  been  chanted  shall  also  be  produced 
again  to  welcome  him  in  the  next  world;  and  that  the 
idols  themselves  will  come  to  do  him  honor. 

Furthermore,  there  exists  in  this  city  the  palace  of  the 
king  who  fled,  him  who  was  emperor  of  Manzi,  and  that 
is  the  greatest  palace  in  the  world,  as  I  shall  tell  you 
more  particularly.  For  you  must  know  its  demesne 
hath  a  compass  of  ten  miles,  all  enclosed  with  lofty 
battlemented  walls;  and  inside  the  walls  are  the  finest 
and  most  delectable  gardens  upon  earth  and  filled  with 

127 


CHINA 

the  finest  fruits.  There  are  numerous  fountains  in  it 
also,  and  lakes  full  of  fish.  In  the  middle  is  the  palace 
itself,  a  great  and  splendid  building.  It  contains  twenty 
great  and  handsome  halls,  one  of  which  is  more  spacious 
than  the  rest  and  affords  room  for  a  vast  multitude  to 
dine.  It  is  all  painted  in  gold,  with  many  histories  and 
representations  of  beasts  and  birds,  of  knights  and 
dames,  and  many  marvelous  things.  It  forms  a  really 
magnificent  spectacle,  for  over  all  the  walls  and  all  the 
ceiling  you  see  nothing  but  paintings  in  gold.  And 
besides  these  halls  the  palace  contains  one  thousand 
large  and  handsome  chambers,  all  painted  in  gold  and 
divers  colors.  .  .  .  There  is  one  church  only,  belonging 
to  the  Nestorian  Christians. 

There  is  another  thing  I  must  tell  you.  It  is  the  cus- 
tom for  every  burgess  of  this  city,  and  in  fact  for  every 
description  of  person  in  it,  to  write  over  his  door  his  own 
name,  the  name  of  his  wife,  and  those  of  his  children, 
his  slaves,  and  all  the  inmates  of  his  house,  and  also  the 
number  of  animals  that  he  keeps.  And  if  any  one  dies 
in  the  house,  then  the  name  of  that  person  is  erased,  and 
if  any  child  is  born,  its  name  is  added.  So  in  this  way  the 
sovereign  is  able  to  know  exactly  the  population  of  the 
city.  And  this  is  the  practice  also  throughout  all  Manzi 
and  Cathay. 

And  I  must  tell  you  that  every  hosteler  who  keeps  an 
hostel  for  travelers  is  bound  to  register  their  names  and 
surnames,  as  well  as  the  day  and  month  of  their  arrival 
and  departure.  And  thus  the  sovereign  hath  the  means 
of  knowing,  whenever  it  pleases  him,  who  come  and  go 
throughout  his  dominions.  And  certes  this  is  a  wise 
order  and  a  provident. 

128 


THE   PEKING  OBSERVATORY 


THE  PEKING  OBSERVATORY 

In  the  thirteenth  century,  three  hundred  years  before  the 
birth  of  GaUleo,  and  at  a  time  when  Europe  was  just  emerg- 
ing from  the  Dark  Ages,  this  astronomical  observatory  was 
erected  by  the  Mongol  emperors. 

The  instrument  shown  in  this  picture  is  made  of  solid 
bronze.  It  is  of  huge  dimensions,  and  the  beautiful  workman- 
ship shows  that  even  in  that  early  age  the  art  of  casting  had 
been  carried  to  perfection  by  the  Chinese.  The  outer  frame- 
work is  a  heavy  metal  horizon,  divided  into  twelve  equal 
parts  for  the  twelve  hours  into  which  the  Chinese  divide 
their  day  and  night,  and  also  marked  to  designate  the  points 
of  the  compass.  The  inside  of  the  ring  bears  the  names  of 
the  twelve  states  into  which  China  was  anciently  divided; 
every  part  of  the  empire  being  supposed  to  be  under  the  in- 
fluence of  a  particular  quarter  of  the  heavens. 

Within  this  is  a  complicated  arrangement  of  circles  and 
elliptics,  illustrating  the  various  movements  of  the  earth 
and  planets,  and  divided  into  portions  representing  the  con- 
stellations, and  the  months  and  days  of  the  year.  In  the 
center  is  a  revolving  tube  for  taking  sights,  and  at  the  four 
corners  are  miniature  rocks  of  bronze  marked  "Northwest 
Mountain,"  "Southwest  Mountain,"  "Southeast  Moun- 
tain," "Northeast  Mountain." 

An  interesting  touch  of  superstition  is  given  by  the  four 
dragons  which  uphold  the  instrument  and  are  chained  to 
the  earth  to  prevent  their  flying  away. 


VII 

CHINESE    FABLES   AND    TALES 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

Chinese  literature  is  richest  in  histories,  commentaries  on 
the  classics,  and  poetry.  One  of  its  most  striking  features 
is  the  colossal  scale  on  which  works  have  been  compiled.  An 
official  history,  completed  in  1633,  comprised  3706  books,  a 
collection  of  the  Chinese  classics  with  their  commentaries 
begun  by  the  Emperor  Kien-long  is  said  to  have  numbered 
180,000  volumes,  and  an  anthology  published  in  1707  con- 
tained nearly  50,000  poems  arranged  in  900  volumes.  Most 
remarkable  of  all  is  an  encyclopaedia  of  history,  philosophy, 
and  literature  ordered  by  the  third  Emperor  of  the  Ming 
Dynasty.  More  than  two  thousand  writers  labored  on  this 
for  five  years  and  the  result  was  a  work  of  917,480  pages,  the 
equivalent  of  about  489,226,000  English  words.  This  extra- 
ordinary work  was  never  published  owing  to  lack  of  money, 
but  three  copies  were  made  by  hand,  all  of  which  have  since 
perished. 

However,  as  with  us,  while  the  classics  are  respected  and 
studied  in  school,  the  great  mass  of  people  depend  on  stories 
for  their  reading. 


THE   BOY   PHILOSOPHER 

There  was  a  wealthy  man  of  Chi,  named  T'ien  Tsu, 
who  daily  fed  a  thousand  people  in  his  own  mansion. 
Among  them  was  one  who  reverently  presented  his  host 
with  a  fish  and  a  goose.  T'ien  Tsu  looked  at  the  offering 
and  sighed.  "  How  bountiful,"  he  exclaimed,  "  is  Heaven 
to  man!  It  gives  us  the  nutritious  grain  for  food,  and 
produces  birds  and  fishes  for  our  use."  All  the  guests 
applauded  this  pious  sentiment  to  the  echo,  except  the 
young  son  of  a  certain  Mr.  Pao,  a  lad  of  twelve  years 
old,  who,  leaving  his  back  seat  and  running  forward, 
said :  — 

"You  would  be  nearer  the  truth,  sir,  if  you  said  that 
Heaven,  Earth,  and  everything  else  belonged  to  the 
same  category,  and  that,  therefore,  nothing  in  that  cate- 
gory is  superior  to  the  rest.  The  only  difference  which 
exists  is  a  matter  of  size,  intelligence,  and  strength,  by 
virtue  of  which  all  these  things  act  and  prey  upon  each 
other;  so  it  is  quite  a  mistake  to  say  that  one  is  created 
for  the  sake  of  the  others.  Whatever  a  man  can  get  to 
eat,  he  eats;  how  can  it  be  that  Heaven  originally  in- 
tended it  for  the  use  of  man,  and  therefore  created  it? 
Besides,  we  all  know  that  gnats  and  mosquitoes  suck 
our  skins,  and  tigers  and  wolves  devour  our  flesh;  so 
that,  according  to  your  theory,  we  were  ourselves  cre- 
ated by  Heaven  for  the  special  benefit  of  gnats,  mos- 
quitoes, tigers,  and  wolves!  Do  you  believe  that, 
pray?" 


THE  ELIXIR   OF   LIFE 

Once  upon  a  time  it  was  reported  that  there  was  a 
person  who  professed  to  have  the  secret  of  immortality. 
The  ELing  of  Yen,  therefore,  sent  messengers  to  inquire 
about  it;  but  they  dawdled  on  the  road,  and  before  they 
had  arrived  at  their  destination,  the  man  was  already 
dead.  Then  the  king  was  very  angry,  and  sought  to  slay 
the  messengers;  but  his  favorite  minister  expostulated 
with  him,  saying,  "There  is  nothing  which  causes 
greater  sorrow  to  men  than  death ;  there  is  nothing  they 
value  more  highly  than  life.  Now,  the  very  man  who 
said  he  possessed  the  secret  of  immortality  is  dead  him- 
self. How,  then,  could  he  have  prevented  Your  Majesty 
from  dying?"    So  the  men's  lives  were  spared. 


THE  TIGER  AND   THE   MONKEY 

A  TIGER  having  clapped  his  paw  on  an  unlucky  mon- 
key, the  latter  begged  to  be  released  on  the  score  of  his 
insignificance,  and  promised  to  show  the  tiger  where  he 
might  find  more  valuable  prey.  The  tiger  complied, 
and  the  monkey  conducted  him  to  a  hillside  where  an 
ass  was  feeding  —  an  animal  which  the  tiger,  till  then, 
had  never  seen. 

"My  good  brother,"  said  the  ass  to  the  monkey, 
"hitherto  you  have  always  brought  me  two  tigers,  how 
is  it  that  you  have  only  brought  me  one  to-day?" 

Hearing  these  words,  the  tiger  fled  for  his  life.  Thus 
ready  wit  may  often  ward  off  great  dangers. 


WAS   HE  THE   ONLY   CHEAT? 

At  Hangchow  there  lived  a  costermonger  who  under- 
stood how  to  keep  oranges  a  whole  year  without  letting 
them  spoil.  His  fruit  was  always  fresh-looking,  firm 
as  jade,  and  of  a  beautiful  golden  hue;  but  inside  —  dry 
as  an  old  cocoon. 

One  day  I  asked  him,  saying,  "Are  your  oranges  for 
altar  or  sacrificial  purposes,  or  for  show  at  banquets? 
Or  do  you  make  this  outside  display  merely  to  cheat  the 
fooHsh?  —  as  cheat  them,  you  most  outrageously  do." 
"Sir,"  replied  the  orangeman,  "I  have  carried  on  this 
trade  now  for  many  years.  It  is  my  source  of  livelihood. 
I  sell:  the  world  buys.  And  I  have  yet  to  learn  that  you 
are  the  only  honest  man  about,  and  that  I  am  the  only 
cheat.  Perhaps  it  never  struck  you  in  this  light.  The 
baton-bearers  of  to-day,  seated  on  their  tiger  skins,  pose 
as  the  martial  guardians  of  the  state ;  but  what  are  they 
compared  with  the  captains  of  old?  The  broad-brimmed, 
long-robed  ministers  of  to-day  pose  as  pillars  of  the 
constitution;  but  have  they  the  wisdom  of  our  ancient 
counselors?  Evil  doers  arise,  and  none  can  subdue 
them.  The  people  are  in  misery,  and  none  can  relieve 
them.  Clerks  are  corrupt,  and  none  can  restrain  them. 
Laws  decay,  and  none  can  renew  them.  Our  officials 
eat  the  bread  of  the  State,  and  know  no  shame.  They 
sit  in  lofty  halls,  ride  fine  steeds,  drink  themselves  drunk 
with  wine,  and  batten  on  the  richest  fare.  Which  of 
them  but  puts  on  an  awe-inspiring  look,  a  dignified 
mien?  —  all  gold  and  gems  without,  but  dry  cocoons 

1.14 


WAS   HE  THE  ONLY   CHEAT? 

within.  You  pay,  sir,  no  heed  to  these  things,  while  you 
are  very  particular  about  my  oranges." 

I  had  no  answer  to  make.  I  retired  to  ponder  over 
this  costermonger's  wit.  Was  he  really  out  of  conceit 
with  the  age,  or  only  quizzing  me  in  defense  of  his  fruit? 


THE  APPEAL   OF  LADY  CHANG 

May  it  please  Your  Majesty, 

My  husband  was  a  Censor  attached  to  the  Board  of 
Rites.  For  his  folly  in  recklessly  advising  Your  Majesty, 
he  deserved,  indeed,  a  thousand  deaths;  yet,  under  the 
Imperial  clemency,  he  was  doomed  only  to  await  his 
sentence  in  prison. 

Since  then,  fourteen  years  have  passed  away.  His 
aged  parents  are  still  alive,  but  there  are  no  children 
in  his  hall,  and  the  wretched  man  has  none  on  whom  he 
can  rely.  I  alone  remain  —  a  lodger  at  an  inn,  working 
day  and  night  at  my  needle  to  provide  the  necessaries 
of  life;  encompassed  on  all  sides  by  difl&culties;  to  whom 
every  day  seems  a  year. 

My  father-in-law  is  eighty-seven  years  of  age.  He 
trembles  on  the  brink  of  the  grave.  He  is  like  a  candle 
in  the  wind.  I  have  naught  wherewith  to  nourish  him 
alive,  or  to  honor  him  when  dead.  I  am  a  lone  woman. 
If  I  tend  the  one,  I  lose  the  other.  If  I  return  to  my 
father-in-law,  my  husband  will  die  of  starvation.  If  I 
remain  to  feed  him,  my  father-in-law  may  die  at  any 
hour.  My  husband  is  a  criminal  bound  in  jail.  He  dares 
give  no  thought  to  his  home.  Yet  can  it  be  that  when  all 
livmg  things  are  rejoicing  in  life  under  the  wise  and 
generous  rule  of  to-day,  we  alone  should  taste  the  cup 
of  poverty  and  distress,  and  find  ourselves  beyond  the 
pale  of  universal  peace? 

Oft,  as  I  think  of  these  things,  the  desire  to  die  comes 
upon  me;  but  I  swallow  my  grief  and  live  on,  trusting 

136 


THE   APPEAL   OF   LADY   CHANG 

in  providence  for  some  happy  termination,  some  mois- 
tening with  the  dew  of  Imperial  grace.  And  now  that 
my  father-in-law  is  face  to  face  with  death;  now  that 
my  husband  can  hardly  expect  to  live  —  I  venture  to 
offer  this  body  as  a  hostage,  to  be  bound  in  prison,  while 
my  husband  returns  to  watch  over  the  last  hours  of  his 
father.  Then,  when  all  is  over,  he  will  resume  his  place 
and  await  Your  Majesty's  pleasure.  Thus,  my  husband 
will  greet  his  father  once  again,  and  the  feelings  of  father 
and  child  will  be  in  some  measure  relieved.  Thus,  I  shall 
give  to  my  father-in-law  the  comfort  of  his  son,  and  the 
duty  of  a  wife  towards  her  husband  will  be  fulfilled. 

[Lady  Chang  won  her  petition  and  her  husband  was  re- 
leased.] 


THE   SOUL   OF  THE   GREAT   BELL 

BY    LAFCADIO   HEARN 

The  water-clock  marks  the  hour  in  the  Ta-chung  sz', 
—  in  the  Tower  of  the  Great  Bell :  now  the  mallet  is 
lifted  to  smite  the  lips  of  the  metal  monster,  —  the  vast 
lips  inscribed  with  Buddhist  texts  from  the  sacred 
"Fa-hwa-King,"  from  the  chapters  of  the  holy  "Ling- 
yen-King"!  Hear  the  great  bell  responding!  —  how 
mighty  her  voice,  though  tongueless  !  —  Ko-Ngai  ! 
All  the  little  dragons  on  the  high-tilted  eaves  of  the 
green  roofs  shiver  to  the  tips  of  their  gilded  tails  under 
that  deep  wave  of  sound;  all  the  porcelain  gargoyles 
tremble  on  their  carven  perches;  all  the  hundred  little 
bells  of  the  pagodas  quiver  with  desire  to  speak.  Ko- 
Ngai  !  —  all  the  green-and-gold  tiles  of  the  temple  are 
vibrating;  the  wooden  gold-fish  above  them  are  writhing 
against  the  sky;  the  uplifted  finger  of  Fo  shakes  high 
over  the  heads  of  the  worshipers  through  the  blue  fog 
of  incense!  Ko-Ngai!  —  What  a  thunder  tone  was 
that!  All  the  lacquered  goblins  on  the  palace  cornices 
wriggle  their  fire-colored  tongues !  And  after  each  huge 
shock,  how  wondrous  the  multiple  echo  and  the  great 
golden  moan  and,  at  last,  the  sudden  sibilant  sobbing 
in  the  ears  when  the  immense  tone  faints  away  in  broken 
whispers  of  silver,  —  as  though  a  woman  should 
whisper,  "Hiai!"  Even  so  the  great  bell  hath  sounded 
every  day  for  well-nigh  five  hundred  years  —  Ko-Ngai  : 
first  with  stupendous  clang,  then  with  immeasurable 

138 


THE  SOUL  OF  THE  GREAT  BELL 

moan  of  gold,  then  with  silver  murmuring  of  '^ Hiail'^ 
And  there  is  not  a  child  in  all  the  many-colored  ways  of 
the  old  Chinese  city  who  does  not  know  the  story  of  the 
great  bell,  —  who  cannot  tell  you  why  the  great  bell 
says  Ko-Ngai  and  Hiai! 


Now,  this  is  the  story  of  the  great  bell  in  the  Ta-chung 
sz',  as  the  same  is  related  in  the  "Pe-Hiao-Tou-Choue," 
written  by  the  learned  Yu-Pao-Tchen,  of  the  city  of 
Kwang-tchau-fu. 

Nearly  five  hundred  years  ago  the  Celestially  Au- 
gust, the  Son  of  Heaven,  Yong-Lo,  of  the  "Illustri- 
ous," or  Ming,  Dynasty,  commanded  the  worthy  offi- 
cial Kouan  Yu  that  he  should  have  a  bell  made  of 
such  size  that  the  sound  thereof  might  be  heard  for 
one  hundred  li.  And  he  further  ordained  that  the  voice 
of  the  bell  should  be  strengthened  with  brass,  and  deep- 
ened with  gold,  and  sweetened  with  silver;  and  that 
the  face  and  the  great  lips  of  it  should  be  graven 
with  blessed  sayings  from  the  sacred  books,  and  that 
it  should  be  suspended  in  the  center  of  the  imperial 
capital,  to  sound  through  all  the  many-colored  ways 
of  the  city  of  Pe-king. 

Therefore  the  worthy  mandarin  Kouan- Yu  assembled 
the  master-moulders  and  the  renowned  bellsmiths  of  the 
empire,  and  all  men  of  great  repute  and  cunning  in 
foundry  work;  and  they  measured  the  materials  for  the 
alloy,  and  treated  them  skillfully,  and  prepared  the 
moulds,  the  fires,  the  instruments,  and  the  monstrous 
melting-pot  for  fusing  the  metal.  And  they  labored 
exceedingly,   like  giants,  —  neglecting   only  rest  and 

139 


CHINA 

sleep  and  the  comforts  of  life;  toiling  both  night  and  day 
in  obedience  to  Kouan-Yu,  and  striving  in  all  things 
to  do  the  behest  of  the  Son  of  Heaven. 

But  when  the  metal  had  been  cast,  and  the  earthen 
mould  separated  from  the  glowing  casting,  it  was  dis- 
covered that,  despite  their  great  labor  and  ceaseless 
care,  the  result  was  void  of  worth;  for  the  metals  had 
rebelled  one  against  the  other,  —  the  gold  had  scorned 
alliance  with  the  brass,  the  silver  would  not  mingle  with 
the  molten  iron.  Therefore  the  moulds  had  to  be  once 
more  prepared,  and  the  fires  rekindled,  and  the  metal 
remelted,  and  all  the  work  tediously  and  toilsomely 
repeated.  The  Son  of  Heaven  heard,  and  was  angry,  but 
spake  nothing. 

A  second  time  the  bell  was  cast,  and  the  result  was 
even  worse.  Still  the  metals  obstinately  refused  to  blend 
one  with  the  other;  and  there  was  no  uniformity  in  the 
bell,  and  the  sides  of  it  were  cracked  and  fissured,  and 
the  lips  of  it  were  slagged  and  split  asunder ;  so  that  all 
the  labor  had  to  be  repeated  even  a  third  time,  to  the 
great  dismay  of  Kouan-Yu.  And  when  the  Son  of 
Heaven  heard  these  things,  he  was  angrier  than  before; 
and  sent  his  messenger  to  Kouan-Yu  with  a  letter, 
written  upon  lemon-colored  silk,  and  sealed  with  the  seal 
of  the  Dragon,  containing  these  words:  — 

From  the  Mighty  Yong-Lo,  the  Sublime  T ait-Sung,  the  Celes- 
tial atid  August,  — whose  reign  is  called  "Ming,"  —  to  Kouan- 
Yu  the  Fuh-yin :  Twice  thou  hast  betrayed  the  trust  we  have 
deigned  graciously  to  place  in  thee ;  if  thou  Jail  a  third  time  in 
fulfilling  our  command,  thy  head  shall  be  severed  from  thy  neck. 
Tremble  and  obey! 


140 


THE  SOUL  OF  THE  GREAT  BELL 

Now,  Kouan-Yu  had  a  daughter  of  dazzHng  loveliness, 
whose  name  —  Ko-Ngai  —  was  ever  in  the  mouths  of 
poets,  and  whose  heart  was  even  more  beautiful  than 
her  face.  Ko-Ngai  loved  her  father  with  such  love  that 
she  had  refused  a  hundred  worthy  suitors  rather  than 
make  his  home  desolate  by  her  absence;  and  when  she 
had  seen  the  awful  yellow  missive,  sealed  with  the 
Dragon-Seal,  she  fainted  away  with  fear  for  her  father's 
sake.  And  when  her  senses  and  her  strength  returned 
to  her,  she  could  not  rest  or  sleep  for  thinking  of  her 
parent's  danger,  until  she  had  secretly  sold  some  of  her 
jewels,  and  with  the  money  so  obtained  had  hastened 
to  an  astrologer,  and  paid  him  a  great  price  to  advise  her 
by  what  means  her  father  might  be  saved  from  the  peril 
impending  over  him.  So  the  astrologer  made  observa- 
tions of  the  heavens,  and  marked  the  aspect  of  the  Silver 
Stream  (which  we  call  the  Milky  Way) ,  and  examined  the 
signs  of  the  Zodiac,  —  the  Hwang-tao,  or  Yellow  Road, 
—  and  consulted  the  table  of  the  Five  Hin,  or  Principles 
of  the  Universe,  and  the  mystical  books  of  the  alchem- 
ists. And  after  a  long  silence,  he  made  answer  to  her, 
saying,  "Gold  and  brass  will  never  meet  in  wedlock, 
silver  and  iron  never  will  embrace,  until  the  flesh  of  a 
maiden  be  melted  in  the  crucible;  until  the  blood  of  a 
virgin  be  mixed  with  the  metals  in  their  fusion."  So 
Ko-Ngai  returned  home  sorrowful  at  heart,  but  she 
kept  secret  all  that  she  had  heard,  and  told  no  one  what 
she  had  done. 


At  last  came  the  awful  day  when  the  third  and  last 
effort  to  cast  the  great  bell  was  to  be  made;  and  Ko- 

141 


CHINA 

Ngai,  together  with  her  waiting-woman,  accompanied 
her  father  to  the  foundry,  and  they  took  their  places 
upon  a  platform  overlooking  the  toiling  of  the  moulders 
and  the  lava  of  liquefied  metal.  All  the  workmen  wrought 
their  tasks  in  silence ;  there  was  no  sound  heard  but  the 
muttering  of  the  fires.  And  the  muttering  deepened  into 
a  roar  like  the  roar  of  typhoons  approaching,  and  the 
blood-red  lake  of  metal  slowly  brightened  like  the  ver- 
milion of  a  sunrise,  and  the  vermilion  was  transmuted 
into  a  radiant  glow  of  gold,  and  the  gold  whitened  blind- 
ingly,  like  the  silver  face  of  a  full  moon.  Then  the 
workers  ceased  to  feed  the  raving  flame,  and  all  fixed 
their  eyes  upon  the  eyes  of  Kouan-Yu;  and  Kouan-Yu 
prepared  to  give  the  signal  to  cast. 

But  ere  ever  he  lifted  his  finger,  a  cry  caused  him  to 
turn  his  head  and  all  heard  the  voice  of  Ko-Ngai  sound- 
ing sharply  sweet  as  a  bird's  song  above  the  great  thun- 
der of  the  fires,  —  "For  thy  sake,  O  my  father!"  And 
even  as  she  cried,  she  leaped  into  the  white  flood  of 
metal ;  and  the  lava  of  the  furnace  roared  to  receive  her, 
and  spattered  monstrous  flakes  of  flame  to  the  roof,  and 
burst  over  the  verge  of  the  earthen  crater,  and  cast  up 
a  whirling  fountain  of  many-colored  fires,  and  subsided 
quakingly  with  lightnings  and  with  thunders  and  with 
mutterings. 

Then  the  father  of  Ko-Ngai,  wild  with  his  grief,  would 
have  leaped  after  her,  but  that  strong  men  held  him 
back  and  kept  firm  grasp  upon  him  until  he  had  fainted 
dead  away  and  they  could  bear  him  like  one  dead  to  his 
home.  And  the  serving-woman  of  Ko-Ngai,  dizzy  and 
speechless  for  pain,  stood  before  the  furnace,  still  holding 
in  her  hands  a  shoe,  a  tiny,  dainty  shoe,  with  embroidery 

142 


THE  SOUL  OF  THE  GREAT  BELL 

of  pearls  and  flowers,  —  the  shoe  of  her  beautiful  mis- 
tress that  was.  For  she  had  sought  to  grasp  Ko-Ngai 
by  the  foot  as  she  leaped,  but  had  only  been  able  to 
clutch  the  shoe,  and  the  pretty  shoe  came  off  in  her 
hand;  and  she  continued  to  stare  at  it  like  one  gone 
mad. 


But  in  spite  of  all  these  things,  the  command  of  the 
Celestial  and  August  had  to  be  obeyed,  and  the  work 
of  the  moulders  to  be  finished,  hopeless  as  the  result 
might  be.  Yet  the  glow  of  the  metal  seemed  purer  and 
whiter  than  before ;  and  there  was  no  sign  of  the  beau- 
tiful body  that  had  been  entombed  therein.  So  the 
ponderous  casting  was  made ;  and  lo !  when  the  metal  had 
become  cool,  it  was  found  that  the  bell  was  beautiful  to 
look  upon,  and  perfect  in  form,  and  wonderful  in  color 
above  all  other  bells.  Nor  was  there  any  trace  found 
of  the  body  of  Ko-Ngai;  for  it  had  been  totally  absorbed 
by  the  precious  alloy,  and  blended  with  the  well-blended 
brass  and  gold,  with  the  intermingling  of  the  silver  and 
the  iron.  And  when  they  sounded  the  bell,  its  tones  were 
found  to  be  deeper  and  mellower  and  mightier  than  the 
tones  of  any  other  bell,  —  reaching  even  beyond  the 
distance  of  one  hundred  li,  like  a  pealing  of  summer 
thunder;  and  yet  also  like  some  vast  voice  uttering  a 
name,  a  woman's  name,  —  the  name  of  Ko-Ngai! 


And  still,  between  each  mighty  stroke,  there  is  a  long 
low  moaning  heard;  and  ever  the  moaning  ends  with 
a  sound  of  sobbing  and  of  complaining,  as  though  a 

143 


CHINA 

weeping  woman  should  murmur  "Hiail"  And  still, 
when  the  people  hear  that  great  golden  moan  they  keep 
silence;  but  when  the  sharp,  sweet  shuddering  comes  in 
the  air,  and  the  sobbing  of  "Eiai!"  then,  indeed,  do 
all  the  Chinese  mothers  in  all  the  many-colored  ways  of 
Pe-king  whisper  to  their  little  ones:  "Listen!  that  is 
Ko-Ngai  crying  for  her  shoe!  That  is  Ko-Ngai  calling  Jor 
her  shoe  !^' 


VIII 

THE   COMING   OF  THE 
MISSIONARIES 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

Just  when  Christianity  first  made  its  way  to  China  is  not 
known.  There  is  a  tradition  that  St.  Thomas  traveled  far  to 
the  east,  but  the  first  Christian  preaching  that  is  recorded 
took  place  in  the  seventh  century.  The  missionaries  were  of 
the  sect  known  as  Nestorians.  No  one  has  ever  found  any  of 
their  books  or  writings  in  China;  but  a  thousand  years  after 
they  are  said  to  have  come  to  the  country,  some  workmen  in 
northwestern  China  who  were  digging  a  trench  came  upon  a 
slab  of  stone  on  which  was  writing,  partly  in  Chinese  and 
partly  in  the  Syriac  letters  used  by  the  Nestorians.  This  told 
of  the  work  of  the  Nestorians,  of  the  building  of  churches, 
and  of  the  emperors  who  favored  the  faith. 

In  the  thirteenth  century  a  few  Franciscan  missionaries 
braved  the  perilous  journey  and  made  many  converts,  but, 
with  the  fall  of  the  Mongol  dynasty,  Christianity  for  a  second 
time  vanished  and  was  not  again  preached  in  China  until 
the  sixteenth  century,  this  time  by  Jesuits.  At  first  their 
teaching  met  with  success,  but  with  the  coming  of  the 
Dominicans  and  Franciscans,  disputes  arose  which  greatly 
discredited  the  new  religion  among  the  Chinese,  for  they 
could  not  understand  why  teachers  of  the  same  faith  should 
quarrel  among  themselves.  At  last  the  emperor's  patience 
was  exhausted  and  he  ordered  all  friars,  except  those  needed 
for  his  imperial  observatory,  to  be  killed.  The  first  Protest- 
ant missionary  arrived  in  China  in  1807. 


AN  ENTERPRISING   MISSIONARY 

[In  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries  the  Franciscans 
made  their  way  to  the  East.  One  of  them,  the  John  of  Cor- 
vino  who  gives  the  following  account  of  his  efforts,  worked 
entirely  alone  for  eleven  years. 

The  Editor.] 

I,  Brother  John,  of  Monte  Corvine,  of  the  order  of 
Minor  Friars,  made  my  way  to  Cathay,  the  realm  of  the 
emperor  of  the  Tartars,  who  is  called  the  Grand  Khan. 
To  him  I  presented  the  letter  of  our  lord  the  Pope,  and 
invited  him  to  adopt  the  Catholic  faith  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ;  but  he  had  grown  too  old  in  idolatry.  However, 
he  bestows  many  kindnesses  upon  the  Christians,  and 
these  two  years  past  I  am  abiding  with  him.  I  have  built 
a  church  in  the  city  of  Peking,  in  which  the  king  has  his 
chief  residence.  This  I  completed  six  years  ago;  and 
I  have  built  a  bell-tower  to  it  and  put  three  bells  in  it. 
I  have  baptized  there,  as  well  as  I  can  estimate,  up  to 
this  time  some  six  thousand  persons. 

Also,  I  have  gradually  bought  one  hundred  and  fifty 
boys,  the  children  of  pagan  parents,  and  of  ages  varying 
from  seven  to  eleven,  who  had  never  learned  any  reli- 
gion. These  boys  I  have  baptized,  and  I  have  taught 
them  Greek  and  Latin  after  our  manner.  Also  I  have 
written  out  Psalters  for  them,  with  thirty  Hymnaries 
and  two  Breviaries.  By  help  of  these,  eleven  of  the  boys 
already  know  our  service,  and  form  a  choir,  and  take 
their  weekly  turn  of  duty  as  they  do  in  convents,  whether 
I  am  there  or  not.  Many  of  the  boys  are  also  employed 

147 


CHINA 

in  writing  out  Psalters  and  other  things  suitable.  His 
Majesty  the  Emperor  moreover  delights  much  to  hear 
them  chanting.  I  have  the  bells  rung  at  all  the  canonical 
hours,  and  with  my  congregation  of  babes  and  sucklings, 
I  perform  divine  service,  and  the  chanting  we  do  by  ear 
because  I  have  no  service  book  with  the  notes. 

I  beg  the  Minister  General  of  our  Order  to  supply  me 
with  the  Antiphonarium,  with  the  legends  of  the  saints, 
a  Gradual,  and  a  Psalter  with  the  musical  notes  as  a 
copy;  for  I  have  nothing  but  a  pocket  Breviary  with  the 
short  lessons  and  a  little  missal.  If  I  had  one  for  a  copy, 
the  boys  of  whom  I  have  spoken  could  transcribe  others 
from  it.  Just  now  I  am  building  a  church  with  the  view 
of  distributing  the  boys  in  more  places  than  one. 

I  have  myself  grown  old  and  gray,  more  with  toil  and 
trouble  than  with  years,  for  I  am  not  more  than  fifty- 
eight.  I  have  got  a  competent  knowledge  of  the  lan- 
guage and  character  which  is  most  generally  used  by  the 
Tartars.  And  I  have  already  translated  into  that  lan- 
guage and  character  the  New  Testament  and  the 
Psalter,  and  have  caused  them  to  be  written  out  in  the 
fairest  penmanship  they  have;  and  so  by  writing,  read- 
ing, and  preaching  I  bear  open  and  public  testimony  to 
the  Law  of  Christ. 


THE   WOMAN   WITH  THE   CROSS 

BY   MENDEZ    PINTO 

Chained  together  as  we  were,  we  went  up  and  down 
the  streets  craving  of  alms,  which  were  very  liberally 
given  us  by  the  inhabitants,  who,  wondering  to  see  such 
men  as  we,  demanded  of  us  what  kind  of  people  we  were, 
of  what  kingdom,  and  how  our  country  was  called. 
Hereunto  we  answered  conformably  to  what  we  had 
said  before,  namely,  that  we  were  natives  of  the  king- 
dom of  Siam,  that  going  from  Liampoo  to  Nanquin  we 
had  lost  all  our  goods  by  shipwreck,  and  that,  although 
they  beheld  us  then  in  so  poor  a  case,  yet  we  had  form- 
erly been  very  rich ;  whereupon  a  woman  who  was  come 
thither  among  the  rest  to  see  us :"  It  is  very  likely,"  said 
she,  speaking  to  them  about  her,  "that  what  these  poor 
strangers  have  related  is  most  true,  for  daily  experience 
doth  shew  how  those  that  trade  by  sea  do  oftentimes 
make  it  their  grave,  wherefore  it  is  best  and  surest  to 
travel  upon  the  earth  and  to  esteem  of  it  as  of  that 
whereof  it  has  pleased  God  to  frame  us."  Saying  so,  she 
gave  us  two  mazes,  which  amounts  to  about  sixteen 
pence  of  our  money,  advising  us  to  make  no  more  such 
long  voyages  since  our  lives  were  so  short. 

Hereupon  she  unbuttoned  one  of  the  sleeves  of  a  red 
satin  gown  she  had  on,  and  baring  her  left  arm,  she 
showed  us  a  cross  imprinted  upon  it  like  the  mark  of  a 
slave.  "Do  any  of  you  know  this  sign,  which  amongst 
those  that  follow  the  way  of  truth  is  called  a  cross?  or 
have  any  of  you  heard  it  named?  "  To  this,  falling  down 

149 


CHINA 

on  our  knees,  we  answered  with  tears  in  our  eyes  that 
we  knew  exceeding  well.  Then,  lifting  up  her  hands, 
she  cried  out,  "Our  Father,  which  art  in  Heaven,  hal- 
lowed be  thy  name,"  speaking  these  words  in  the  Por- 
tugal tongue;  and  because  she  could  speak  no  more  of 
our  language,  she  very  earnestly  desired  us  in  Chinese 
to  tell  her  whether  we  were  Christians.  We  replied 
that  we  were,  and  for  proof  thereof,  after  we  had  kissed 
that  arm  whereon  the  cross  was,  we  repeated  all  the  rest 
of  the  Lord's  Prayer  which  she  had  left  unsaid;  where- 
with being  assured  that  we  were  Christians  indeed,  she 
drew  aside  from  the  rest  there  present  and  weeping  said 
to  us,  "Come  along,  Christians  of  the  other  end  of  the 
world,  with  her  that  is  your  true  sister  in  the  faith  of 
Jesus  Christ,  or  peradventure  a  kinswoman  to  one  of 
you,  by  his  side  that  begot  me  iii  this  miserable  exile"; 
and  so  going  to  carry  us  to  her  house,  the  hupes  which 
guarded  us  would  not  suffer  her,  saying,  that  if  we  would 
not  continue  our  craving  of  alms  they  would  return  us 
back  to  the  ship ;  but  this  they  spake  in  regard  of  their 
own  interest,  for  that  they  were  to  have  the  moiety  of 
what  was  given  us,  and  accordingly  they  made  as  though 
they  would  have  led  us  thither  again,  which  the  woman 
perceiving,  "I  understand  your  meaning,"  said  she, 
"and  indeed  it  is  but  reason  you  should  make  the  best 
of  your  places,  for  thereby  you  live";  so  opening  her 
purse,  she  gave  them  two  taeis  in  silver,  wherewith  they 
were  very  well  satisfied ;  whereupon  she  carried  us  home 
to  her  house,  and  there  kept  us  all  the  while  we  remained 
in  that  place,  making  much  of  us  and  using  us  very 
charitably. 
Here  she  showed  us  an  oratory,  wherein  she  had  a 

ISO 


THE   WOMAN  WITH  THE   CROSS 

cross  of  wood  gilt,  as  also  candlesticks  and  a  lamp  of 
silver.  Furthermore  she  told  us  that  she  was  named 
Inez  de  Leyria,  and  her  father  Tome  Pirez,  who  had 
been  great  ambassador  from  Portugal  to  the  king  of 
China,  and  that  in  regard  of  an  insurrection  with  a  Por- 
tuguese captain  made  at  Canton,  the  Chineses  taking 
him  for  a  spy  and  not  for  an  ambassador,  as  he  termed 
himself,  clapped  him  and  all  his  followers  up  in  prison, 
where  by  order  of  justice  five  of  them  were  put  to  tor- 
ture, receiving  so  many  and  such  cruel  stripes  on  their 
bodies  as  they  died  instantly,  and  the  rest  were  all 
banished  into  several  parts,  together  with  her  father  into 
this  place,  where  he  married  with  her  mother,  that  had 
some  means,  and  how  he  made  her  a  Christian,  living 
so  seven  and  twenty  years  together,  and  converting 
many  Gentiles  to  the  faith  of  Christ,  whereof  there  were 
above  three  hundred  then  abiding  in  that  town;  which 
every  Sunday  assembled  in  her  house  to  say  the  cate- 
chism: whereupon  demanding  of  her  what  were  their 
accustomed  prayers,  she  answered  that  she  used  no  other 
but  these,  which  on  their  knees,  with  their  eyes  and 
hands  lift  up  to  Heaven,  they  pronounced  in  this  man- 
ner:—  "0  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  it  is  most  true  that 
thou  art  the  very  Son  of  God,  conceived  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  of  the  Virgin  Mary  for  the  salvation  of  sinners, 
so  thou  wilt  be  pleased  to  forgive  us  our  offenses,  that 
thereby  we  may  become  worthy  to  behold  thy  face 
in  the  glory  of  thy  kingdom,  where  thou  art  sitting  at 
the  right  hand  of  the  Almighty.  Our  Father  who  art  in 
Heaven,  hallowed  be  thy  name.  In  the  name  of  the 
Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  Amen."  And  so 
all  of  them,  kissing  the  cross,  embraced  one  another,  and 

151 


CHINA 

thereupon  every  one  returned  to  his  own  home.  More- 
over, she  told  us  that  her  father  had  left  her  many  other 
prayers,  which  the  Chineses  had  stolen  from  her,  so  that 
she  had  none  left  but  those  before  recited;  whereunto 
we  replied  that  those  we  had  heard  from  her  were  very 
good,  but  before  we  went  away  we  would  leave  her 
divers  other  good  and  wholesome  prayers.  "Do  so, 
then,"  answered  she,  "for  the  respect  you  owe  to  so  good 
a  God  as  yours  is,  and  that  hath  done  such  things  for 
you,  for  me,  and  all  in  general." 

Then  causing  the  cloth  to  be  laid,  she  gave  us  a  very 
good  and  plentiful  dinner,  and  treated  us  in  like  sort 
every  meal  during  the  five  days  we  continued  in  her 
house,  which  was  permitted  by  the  Chifuu  in  regard  of 
a  present  that  this  good  woman  sent  his  wife,  whom  she 
earnestly  entreated  so  to  deal  with  her  husband  as  we 
might  be  well  entreated,  for  that  we  were  men  of  whom 
God  had  a  particular  care;  as  the  Chifuu's  wife  promised 
her  to  do,  with  many  thanks  to  her  for  the  present  she 
had  received.  In  the  mean  space,  during  the  five  days 
we  remained  in  her  house,  we  read  the  catechism  seven 
times  to  the  Christians;  wherewithal  they  were  very 
much  edified;  beside,  Christophoro  Borbalho  made 
them  a  little  book  in  the  Chinese  tongue,  containing 
the  Paternoster,  the  Creed,  the  Ten  Commandments, 
and  many  other  good  prayers.  After  these  things  we 
took  our  leaves  of  Inez  de  Leyria  and  the  Christians, 
who  gave  us  fifty  taeis  in  silver,  which  stood  us  since  in 
good  stead;  and  withal  Inez  de  Leyria  gave  us  secretly 
fifty  taeis  more,  humbly  desiring  us  to  remember  her  in 
our  prayers  to  God. 


THE   WORSHIP  OF  ANCESTORS 

BY    W.    A.    P.    MARTIN 

[One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  met  by  the  missionaries  in 
trying  to  convert  the  Chinese  was  that  if  they  became  Chris- 
tians, they  would  be  obliged  to  give  up  worshiping  their  an- 
cestors and  offering  up  prayers  to  them.  This  was  a  most 
important  matter.  One  Wu  Wang,  who  founded  the  famous 
Chow  Dynasty  in  which  Confucius  lived,  declared  that  it  was 
right  to  rebel  against  the  former  emperor  because  with  all 
his  other  misdeeds  he  had  even  neglected  to  offer  up  the 
proper  sacrifices  at  the  tombs  of  his  ancestors. 

The  Editor.] 

Every  household  has  somewhere  within  its  doors 
a  small  shrine,  in  which  are  deposited  the  tablets  of 
ancestors,  and  of  all  deceased  members  of  the  family 
who  have  passed  the  age  of  infancy. 

Each  clan  has  its  ancestral  temple,  which  forms  a 
rallying  point  for  all  who  belong  to  the  common  stock. 
In  such  temples,  as  in  the  smaller  shrines  of  the  house- 
hold, the  objects  of  reverence  are  not  images,  but  tab- 
lets, —  slips  of  wood  inscribed  with  the  name  of  the 
deceased,  together  with  the  dates  of  birth  and  death. 
In  these  tablets,  according  to  popular  belief,  dwell  the 
spirits  of  the  dead.  Before  them  ascends  the  smoke 
of  daily  incense;  and,  twice  in  the  month,  offerings  of 
fruits  and  other  eatables  are  presented,  accompanied 
by  solemn  prostrations. 

In  some  cases,  particularly  during  a  period  of  mourn- 
ing, the  members  of  the  family  salute  the  dead,  morn- 

153 


CHINA 

ing  and  evening,  as  they  do  the  living;  and  on  special 
occasions,  such  as  a  marriage  or  a  funeral,  there  are 
religious  services  of  a  more  elaborate  character,  accom- 
panied sometimes  by  feasts  and  theatrical  shows. 

Besides  worship  in  presence  of  the  representative  tab- 
let, periodical  rites  are  performed  at  the  family  ceme- 
tery. In  spring  and  autumn,  when  the  mildness  of  the 
air  is  such  as  to  invite  excursions,  city  famihes  are  wont 
to  choose  a  day  for  visiting  the  resting  places  of  their 
dead.  Clearing  away  the  grass,  and  covering  the  tombs 
with  a  layer  of  fresh  earth,  they  present  offerings  and 
perform  acts  of  worship.  This  done,  they  pass  the  rest  of 
the  day  in  enjoying  the  scenery  of  the  country. 


TEACHING   SCIENCE  TO  THE   EMPEROR 

BY  PERE  DU  HALDE 

[In  the  sixteenth  century,  Ricci,  a  Jesuit  missionary,  came 
to  China,  and  was  followed  by  others  of  the  same  order.  They 
showed  a  great  amount  of  tact  in  dealing  with  the  natives. 
The  following  account  explains  one  method  by  which  they 
made  their  way. 

The  Editor.] 

Tms  nation,  naturally  proud,  looked  upon  themselves 
as  the  most  learned  in  the  world,  and  they  enjoyed  this 
reputation  without  disturbance  because  they  were  ac- 
quainted with  no  other  people  more  knowing  than  them- 
selves; but  they  were  undeceived  by  the  ingenuity  of  the 
missionaries  who  appeared  at  court.  The  proof  which 
they  gave  of  their  capacity  served  greatly  to  authorize 
their  ministry  and  to  gain  esteem  for  the  religion  which 
they  preached. 

The  late  emperor,  Cang  hi,  whose  chief  delight  was  to 
acquire  knowledge,  was  never  weary  of  seeing  or  hearing 
them.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Jesuits,  perceiving  how 
necessary  the  protection  of  this  great  prince  was  to  the 
progress  of  the  Gospel,  omitted  nothing  that  might  ex- 
cite his  curiosity  and  satisfy  this  natural  relish  for  the 
sciences. 

They  gave  him  an  insight  into  optics  by  making  him  a 
present  of  a  semi-cylinder  of  a  light  kind  of  wood.  In 
the  middle  of  its  axis  was  placed  a  convex  glass,  which, 
being  turned  toward  any  object,  painted  the  image 
within  the  tube  to  a  great  nicety. 

155 


CHINA 

The  emperor  was  greatly  pleased  with  so  unusual  a 
sight,  and  desired  to  have  a  machine  made  in  his  garden 
at  Peking,  wherein,  without  bemg  seen  himself,  he  might 
see  everything  that  passed  in  the  streets  and  neighboring 
places.  They  prepared  for  this  purpose  an  object-glass  of 
much  greater  diameter,  and  made  in  the  thickest  garden 
wall  a  great  window  in  the  shape  of  a  pyramid,  the  basis 
of  which  was  towards  the  garden,  and  the  point  toward 
the  street.  At  the  point  they  fixed  the  glass  eye  over 
against  the  place  where  there  was  the  greatest  concourse 
of  people ;  at  the  basis  was  made  a  large  closet,  shut  up 
close  on  all  sides  and  very  dark.  It  was  there  the  emperor 
came  with  his  queens  to  observe  the  lively  images  of 
everything  that  passed  in  the  street;  and  this  sight 
pleased  him  extremely;  but  it  charmed  the  princesses 
a  great  deal  more,  who  could  not  otherwise  behold  this 
spectacle,  the  custom  of  China  not  allowing  them  to  go 
out  of  the  palace. 

Pere  Grimaldi  gave  another  wonderful  spectacle  by  his 
skill  in  optics  in  the  Jesuits'  Garden  at  Peking,  which 
greatly  astonished  the  grandees  of  the  emperor.  They 
made  upon  the  four  walls  four  human  figures,  every  one 
being  of  the  same  length  as  the  wall,  which  was  fifty  feet. 
As  he  had  perfectly  observed  the  optic  rules,  there  was 
nothing  seen  on  the  front  but  mountains,  forests,  chases, 
and  other  things  of  this  nature;  but  at  a  certain  point 
they  perceived  the  figure  of  a  man  well  made  and  well 
proportioned.  The  emperor  honored  the  Jesuits'  house 
with  his  presence,  and  beheld  these  figures  a  long  time 
with  admiration.  The  grandees  and  principal  mandarins, 
who  came  in  crowds,  were  equally  surprised;  but  that 
which  struck  them  most  was  to  see  the  figures  so  regular 

156 


TEACHING   SCIENCE   TO   THE   EMPEROR 

and  so  exact  upon  irregular  walls  that  in  several  places 
had  large  windows  and  doors. 

It  would  be  too  tedious  to  mention  all  the  figures  that 
seemed  in  confusion,  and  yet  were  seen  distinctly  at  a 
certain  point,  or  were  put  in  order  with  conic,  cylindric, 
pyramidal  mirrors,  and  the  many  other  wonders  in  op- 
tics that  Pere  Grimaldi  discovered  to  the  finest  geniuses 
in  China  and  which  raised  their  surprise  and  wonder. 

In  catoptrics  they  presented  the  emperor  with  all  sorts 
of  telescopes,  as  well  for  astronomical  observations  as  for 
taking  great  and  small  distances  upon  the  earth ;  and  like- 
wise glasses  for  diminishing,  magnifying,  and  multiply- 
ing. Among  other  things,  they  presented  him  with  a 
tube  made  like  a  prism  having  eight  sides,  which  being 
placed  parallel  with  the  horizon,  presented  eight  different 
scenes  so  lifelike  that  they  might  be  mistaken  for  the 
objects  themselves;  this  being  joined  to  the  variety  of 
painting  entertained  the  emperor  a  long  time. 

They  likewise  presented  another  tube  wherein  was  a 
polygon  glass,  which  by  its  different  facets  collected  into 
one  image  several  parts  of  different  objects,  insomuch 
that  instead  of  a  landscape,  woods,  flocks,  and  a  hundred 
other  things  represented  in  a  picture,  there  was  seen  dis- 
tinctly a  human  face  or  some  other  figure  very  exact. 

There  was  also  another  machine  which  contained  a 
lighted  lamp,  the  light  of  which  came  through  a  tube,  at 
the  end  whereof  was  a  convex  glass,  near  which  several 
small  pieces  of  glass  painted  with  divers  figures  were 
made  to  slide.  These  figures  were  seen  upon  the  opposite 
wall  of  a  size  proportioned  to  the  size  of  the  wall. 
This  spectacle  in  the  nighttime  or  in  a  very  dark  place 
frightened  those  who  were  ignorant  of  the  artifice  as 

157 


CHINA 

much  as  it  pleased  those  who  were  acquainted  with  it. 
On  this  account  they  have  given  it  the  name  of  the  magic 
lantern. 

Nor  was  perspective  forgotten.  Pere  Bruglio  gave  the 
emperor  three  drafts  wherein  the  rules  were  exactly 
kept.  He  showed  three  copies  of  the  same  in  the  Jesuits' 
Garden  at  Peking.  The  mandarins,  who  flock  to  this  city 
from  all  parts,  came  to  see  them  out  of  curiosity,  and 
were  all  equally  struck  with  the  sight.  They  could  not 
conceive  how  it  was  possible  on  a  plain  cloth  to  represent 
halls,  galleries,  porticoes,  roads,  and  alleys  that  seemed 
to  reach  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see,  and  all  this  so  natu- 
rally that  at  the  first  sight  they  were  deceived  by  it. 

Statics  likewise  had  its  turn.  They  offered  the  em- 
peror a  machine  the  principal  parts  of  which  were  only 
four  notched  wheels  and  an  iron  grapple.  With  the  help 
of  this  machine,  a  child  raised  several  thousand  weight 
without  difficulty,  and  stood  firm  against  the  efforts  of 
twenty  strong  men. 

With  respect  to  hydrostatics,  they  made  for  the  em- 
peror pumps,  canals,  siphons,  wheels,  and  several  other 
machines  proper  to  raise  water  above  the  level  of  the 
spring;  and  among  others,  a  machine  which  they  made 
use  of  to  raise  water  out  of  the  river,  called  the  ten  thou- 
sand springs,  and  to  carry  it  into  the  ground  belonging 
to  the  emperor's  demesnes,  as  he  had  desired. 

Pere  Grimaldi  also  made  a  present  to  the  emperor  of 
a  hydraulic  machine  of  a  new  type.  There  appeared 
in  it  a  ceaseless  jet  d'eau,  or  cascade,  a  clock  that  went 
very  true,  the  motions  of  the  heavens,  and  an  accurate 
alarm. 

The  pneumatic  machines  also  did  no  less  excite  the 

158 


TEACHING   SCIENCE   TO  THE   EMPEROR 

emperor's  curiosity.  They  caused  a  wagon  to  be  made  of 
light  wood  about  two  feet  long.  In  the  middle  of  it  they 
placed  a  brazen  vessel  full  of  live  coals,  and  upon  that  an 
aeolipile,  the  wind  of  which  came  through  a  Uttle  pipe 
upon  a  sort  of  wheel  made  like  the  sails  of  a  windmill. 
This  Httle  wheel  turned  another  with  an  axletree,  and  by 
that  means  set  the  wagon  in  motion  for  two  hours  to- 
gether; but  lest  room  should  be  wanting  to  proceed  con- 
stantly forward,  it  was  contrived  to  move  circularly  in 
the  following  manner:  To  the  axletree  of  the  two  hind 
wheels  was  fixed  a  small  beam,  and  at  the  end  of  this 
beam  another  axletree,  which  went  through  the  center  of 
another  wheel  somewhat  larger  than  the  rest;  and  accord- 
ing as  this  wheel  was  nearer  or  farther  from  the  wagon, 
it  described  a  greater  or  lesser  circle.  The  same  contriv- 
ance was  likewise  fixed  to  a  little  ship  with  four  wheels. 
The  aeolipile  was  hid  in  the  middle  of  the  ship,  and  the 
wind  proceeding  out  of  two  small  pipes  filled  the  little 
sails  and  made  it  wheel  about  a  long  while.  The  artifice 
being  concealed,  there  was  nothing  heard  but  a  noise  like 
a  blast  of  wind  or  like  that  which  water  makes  about  a 
vessel. 

I  have  already  spoken  of  the  organ  which  was  presented 
to  the  emperor;  but  as  this  was  defective  in  many  things, 
Pere  Pereira  made  a  larger  one,  and  placed  it  in  the 
Jesuits'  church  at  Peking.  The  novelty  of  this  harmony 
charmed  the  Chinese;  but  that  which  astonished  them 
most  was  that  this  organ  played  of  itself  Chinese  as 
well  as  European  airs,  and  sometimes  both  together. 

It  was  well  known,  as  I  have  elsewhere  mentioned, 
that  what  gave  Pere  Ricci  a  favorable  admission  into 
the  emperor's  court  was  a  clock  and  a  striking  watch  of 

159 


CHINA 

which  he  made  him  a  present.  This  prince  was  so  much 
charmed  with  it  that  he  built  a  magnificent  tower  pur- 
posely to  place  it  in,  and  because  the  queen-mother  had 
a  desire  for  a  striking  watch,  the  emperor  had  recourse  to 
a  stratagem  to  disappoint  her  by  ordering  the  watch  to 
be  shown  her  without  calHng  her  attention  to  the  strik- 
ing part,  so  that  she,  not  finding  it  according  to  her 
fancy,  sent  it  back. 

They  did  not  fail  afterwards  to  comply  with  the  em- 
peror's taste,  for  great  quantities  of  curious  things  were 
sent  out  of  Europe  by  Christian  princes,  who  had  the 
conversion  of  this  great  empire  at  heart,  insomuch  that 
the  emperor's  cabinet  was  soon  filled  with  various  rari- 
ties, especially  clocks  of  the  most  recently  invented  t}^e 
and  most  curious  workmanship. 

PerePereira,  who  had  singular  talent  for  music,  placed 
a  large  and  magnificent  clock  on  the  top  of  the  Jesuits' 
church.  He  had  made  a  great  number  of  small  bells  in 
a  musical  proportion  and  placed  them  in  a  tower  ap- 
pointed for  that  purpose.  Every  hammer  was  fastened 
to  an  iron  wire  which  raised  it  and  immediately  let  it  fall 
upon  the  bell.  Within  the  tower  was  a  large  barrel  upon 
which  Christian  airs  were  marked  with  small  spikes. 
Immediately  before  the  hour  the  barrel  was  disengaged 
from  the  teeth  of  a  wheel,  by  which  it  was  suspended 
and  stopped.  It  then  was  instantly  set  in  motion  by  a 
great  weight,  the  string  of  which  was  wound  about  the 
barrel.  The  spikes  raised  the  wires  of  the  hammers, 
according  to  the  order  of  the  tune,  so  that  by  this  means 
the  finest  airs  of  the  country  were  heard. 

This  was  a  diversion  entirely  new  both  for  the  court 
and  city,  and  crowds  of  all  sorts  came  constantly  to  hear 

1 60 


TEACHING   SCIENCE  TO  THE   EMPEROR 

it;  the  church,  though  large,  was  not  sufficient  for  the 
throng  that  incessantly  went  backward  and  forward. 

Whenever  any  extraordinary  phenomena,  such  as  a 
parhelion,  rainbows,  etc.,  appeared  in  the  heavens,  the 
emperor  immediately  sent  for  the  missionaries  to  explain 
their  causes.  They  composed  several  books  concerning 
these  natural  appearances,  and  to  support  their  expla- 
nations in  the  most  sensible  manner  they  contrived 
a  machine  to  represent  the  effects  of  nature  in  the 
heavens. 

It  was  a  drum  made  very  close  and  whitened  on  the  in- 
side. The  inward  surface  represented  the  heavens,  the 
light  of  the  sun  entering  through  a  little  hole  passed 
through  a  triangular  prism  of  glass  and  fell  upon  a  pol- 
ished cylinder.  From  this  cylinder  it  was  reflected  upon 
the  concavity  of  the  drum  and  exactly  painted  the  color 
of  the  rainbow.  From  a  part  of  the  cyHnder  a  little  flat- 
tened was  reflected  the  image  of  the  sun ;  and  by  other 
refractions  and  reflections  were  shown  the  halos  about 
sun  and  moon,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  phenomena  relating 
to  celestial  colors,  according  as  the  prism  was  more  or  less 
inclined  towards  the  cyUnder. 

They  also  presented  the  emperor  with  thermometers 
to  show  the  several  degrees  of  heat  and  cold,  to  which 
was  added  a  very  nice  hygrometer  to  discover  the  sev- 
eral degrees  of  moisture  and  dryness.  It  was  a  barrel 
of  a  large  diameter,  suspended  by  a  thick  string  made 
of  catgut  of  a  proper  length  and  parallel,  to  the  hori- 
zon. The  least  change  in  the  air  contracts  or  relaxes  the 
string,  and  causes  the  barrel  to  turn  sometimes  to  the 
right,  sometimes  to  the  left,  and  stretches  or  loosens  to 
the  right  or  left  upon  the  circumference  of  the  barrel  a 

i6i 


CHINA 

small  string  which  draws  a  little  pendulum  and  marks 
the  several  degrees  of  humidity  on  one,  and  on  the  other 
those  of  dryness. 

All  these  different  inventions  of  human  wit,  till  then 
unknown  to  the  Chinese,  abated  something  of  their  natu- 
ral pride  and  taught  them  not  to  have  too  contemptible 
an  opinion  of  foreigners ;  nay,  it  so  far  altered  their  way 
of  thinking  that  they  began  to  look  upon  Europeans  as 
their  masters. 


THE    EMPEROR  AND  THE   MUSICIAN 

BY  PkRE    DU  HALDE 

The  Chinese  like  the  European  music  well  enough,  pro- 
vided that  there  is  but  one  voice  to  accompany  the 
sound  of  several  instnmients.  But  as  for  the  contrast  of 
different  voices,  of  grave  and  acute  sounds,  they  are  not 
at  all  agreeable  to  their  taste,  for  they  look  upon  them  as 
no  better  than  disagreeable  confusion. 

They  have  no  musical  notes,  nor  any  sign  to  denote 
the  diversity  of  tones,  the  rising  or  falHng  of  the  voice, 
and  the  rest  of  the  variations  that  constitute  harmony. 
The  airs  which  they  sing  or  play  upon  their  instruments 
are  got  only  by  rote  and  are  learned  by  the  ear.  Never- 
theless, they  make  new  ones  from  time  to  time. 

The  ease  wherewith  we  retain  an  air  after  the  first 
hearing,  by  the  assistance  of  notes,  extremely  surprised 
the  late  emperor.  In  the  year  1679,  he  sent  for  Pere 
Grimaldi  and  Pere  Pereira  to  play  upon  an  organ  and  a 
harpsichord  that  they  had  formerly  presented  him.  He 
liked  our  European  airs  and  seemed  to  take  great 
pleasure  in  them.  Then  he  ordered  his  musicians  to 
play  a  Chinese  air  upon  their  instruments,  and  played 
likewise  himself  in  a  very  graceful  manner. 

Pere  Pereira  took  his  pocketbook  and  pricked  down  all 
the  tune  while  the  musicians  were  playing,  and  when 
they  had  finished,  repeated  it  without  missing  a  note, 
which  the  emperor  could  scarcely  believe,  his  surprise 
was  so  great  that  the  father  had  learned  in  so  short  a 
time  an  air  which  had  been  so  troublesome  to  him  and 

163 


CHINA 

his  musicians,  and  that  by  the  assistance  of  the  charac- 
ters he  could  recollect  it  at  any  time  with  pleasure. 

To  be  more  certain  of  this,  he  put  him  to  trial  several 
times,  and  sang  several  different  airs,  which  the  father 
took  down  in  his  book,  and  then  repeated  exactly  with 
the  greatest  accuracy.    ''It  must  be  owned,"  cried  the 

CHINESE  MUSIC 


^=n^ 


g^rr^- 


^ 


E 


^^j-*-* 


m 


& 


^^frv^T^ 


f^"rtPtr 


-nM^ 


£ 


emperor,  "European  music  is  incomparable,  and  this 
father  has  not  his  equal  in  all  the  empire."  This  prince 
afterwards  established  an  academy  of  music,  and  made 
the  most  skillful  persons  in  that  science  members  of  it, 
and  committed  it  to  the  care  of  his  third  son,  a  man  of 
letters  and  who  had  read  much. 

They  began  by  examining  all  the  authors  that  had 
written  upon  the  subject,  they  caused  all  sorts  of  instru- 
ments to  be  made  after  the  ancient  manner  and  accord- 

164 


THE   EMPEROR   AND   THE   MUSICIAN 

ing  to  the  size  proposed.  The  faults  of  these  instruments 
were  discovered  and  corrected,  after  which  they  com- 
posed a  book  in  four  tomes  with  the  title,  "The  True 
Doctrine  of  Li  lu,  written  by  the  Order  of  the  Emperor." 
To  these  four  tomes  they  added  a  fifth  concerning  the 
"Elements  of  European  Music,  made  by  P.  Pereira." 


THE    MAN   WHO   WAS  AFRAID   OF 
BECOMING  A   HORSE 

BY   pfeRE    DU   HALDE 

[Although  these  stories  were  written  by  Pere  du  Halde, 
they  were  made  up  from  letters  and  reports  of  a  number  of 
Jesuit  missionaries. 

The  Editor.] 

They  called  me  one  day  to  baptize  a  sick  person,  who 
was  an  old  man  of  seventy,  and  lived  upon  a  small  pen- 
sion given  him  by  the  emperor.  When  I  entered  his  room, 
he  said,  *'I  am  obliged  to  you,  my  father,  that  you  are 
going  to  deliver  me  from  a  heavy  punishment." 

"That  is  not  all,"  replied  I,  "baptism  not  only  de- 
livers persons  from  hell,  but  conducts  them  to  a  life 
of  blessedness." 

"I  do  not  comprehend,"  replied  the  sick  person, 
"what  it  is  you  say,  and  perhaps  I  have  not  sufficiently 
explained  myself.  You  know  that  for  some  time  I  have 
lived  on  the  emperor's  benevolence,  and  the  bonzes 
[Buddhist  priests],  who  are  well  instructed  in  what  passes 
in  the  next  world,  have  assured  me  that  out  of  gratitude 
I  should  be  obliged  to  serve  him  after  death,  and  that 
my  soul  would  infallibly  pass  into  a  post  horse  to  carry 
dispatches  out  of  the  provinces  to  court.  For  this  rea- 
son they  exhort  me  to  perform  my  duty  well,  when  I 
shall  have  assumed  my  new  being,  and  to  take  care  not 
to  stumble,  nor  wince,  nor  bite,  nor  hurt  anybody.  Be- 
sides, they  direct  me  to  travel  well,  to  eat  little,  to  be 

i66 


AFRAID  OF  BECOMING  A  HORSE 

patient,  and  by  that  means  move  the  compassion  of  the 
deities,  who  often  convert  a  good  beast  into  a  man  of 
quality,  and  make  him  a  considerable  mandarin.  I  own, 
father,  that  this  thought  makes  me  shudder,  and  I  can- 
not think  on  it  without  trembling.  I  dream  of  it  every 
night,  and  sometimes  when  I  am  asleep,  I  think  myself 
harnessed  and  ready  to  set  out  at  the  first  stroke  of  the 
rider.  I  then  wake  in  a  sweat  and  under  great  concern, 
not  being  able  to  determine  whether  I  am  a  man  or  a 
horse;  but,  alas,  what  will  become  of  me  when  I  shall 
be  a  horse  in  reality?  This,  then,  my  father,  is  the  reso- 
lution that  I  am  come  to :  They  say  that  those  of  your 
religion  are  not  subject  to  these  miseries,  that  men  con- 
tinue to  be  men  and  shall  be  the  same  in  the  next  world 
as  they  are  in  this.  I  beseech  you  to  receive  me  among 
you.  I  know  that  your  religion  is  hard  to  be  observed, 
but  if  it  was  still  more  difficult,  I  am  ready  to  embrace  it ; 
and  whatever  it  cost  me,  I  should  rather  be  a  Christian 
than  become  a  beast." 

This  discourse  and  the  present  condition  of  the  sick 
person  excited  my  compassion ;  but  reflecting  afterwards 
that  God  makes  use  of  simplicity  and  ignorance  to  lead 
men  to  the  truth,  I  took  occasion  to  undeceive  him  in 
his  errors  and  to  direct  him  in  the  way  of  salvation.  I 
gave  him  instructions  a  long  time,  and  at  length  he  be- 
lieved, and  I  had  the  consolation  to  see  him  die  not  only 
with  the  most  rational  sentiments,  but  with  all  the 
marks  of  a  good  Christian. 


HOW  THE  BONZES  GOT  THE  DUCKS 

BY   PERE   LE  COMTE 

[There  was  no  end  to  the  deceits  that  these  bonzes  practiced 
upon  the  Chinese.  The  following  tale  of  their  trickery  is  a 
favorite  among  the  more  intelligent  Chinamen. 

The  Editor.] 

Two  of  these  bonzes,  one  day  perceiving  in  the  court  of 
a  rich  peasant  two  or  three  large  ducks,  prostrated  them- 
selves before  the  door  and  began  to  sigh  and  weep  bit- 
terly. The  good  woman,  who  perceived  them  from  her 
chamber,  came  out  to  learn  the  reason  of  their  grief. 

"We  know,"  said  they,  "that  the  souls  of  our  fathers 
have  passed  into  the  bodies  of  these  creatures,  and  the 
fear  we  are  under  that  you  should  kill  them  will  cer- 
tainly make  us  die  with  grief." 

"I  own,"  said  the  woman,  "that  we  were  determined 
to  sell  them ;  but  since  they  are  your  parents,  I  promise 
to  keep  them." 

This  was  not  what  the  bonzes  wanted,  and  therefore 
they  added,  — 

"Perhaps  your  husband  will  not  be  so  charitable  as 
yourself,  and  you  may  rest  assured  that  it  will  be  fatal 
to  us  if  any  accident  happens  to  them." 

In  short,  after  a  great  deal  of  discourse,  the  good 
woman  was  so  moved  with  their  seeming  grief  that  she 
gave  them  the  ducks  to  take  care  of;  which  they  took 
very  respectfully  after  several  protestations,  and  the 
selfsame  evening  made  a  feast  of  them  for  their  little 
society. 

i68 


A  VISIT   TO  A  LAMA 

BY  PERE  GERBILLON 

[Among  the  Tartars  the  priests  of  Buddha  are  all  called 
lamas,  but  are  of  greatly  differing  rank. 

The  Editor.] 

Our  ambassadors,  upon  their  coming  into  the  town, 
went  directly  to  the  chief  pagoda,  several  lamas  coming 
to  receive  them  and  to  conduct  them  across  the  square 
court,  quite  large  and  well  paved  with  square  tiles,  to 
the  pagoda,  where  was  one  of  their  chiefs.  He  was  one 
of  those  whom  the  impostors  say  never  die.  They  affirm 
that  when  his  soul  is  separated  from  his  body,  it  irmnedi- 
ately  enters  into  that  of  a  newborn  child.  The  venera- 
tion which  the  Tartars  have  for  these  impostors  is  in- 
credible, even  worshiping  them  as  gods  upon  earth.  I 
was  witness  of  this  respect  which  our  ambassador  and  a 
part  of  his  retinue,  particularly  the  Mongols,  paid  him. 
The  person  who  then  pretended  to  be  thus  brought  again 
into  life  was  a  young  man  about  twenty-five  years  old. 
His  face  was  very  long  and  rather  flat.  He  was  seated 
under  a  canopy  at  the  farther  end  of  the  pagoda  upon 
two  cushions,  one  of  brocade  and  the  other  of  yellow 
satin.  A  large  mantle  of  the  finest  Chinese  yellow  damask 
covered  his  body  from  head  to  foot,  so  that  nothing  of 
him  could  be  seen  but  his  head,  which  was  quite  bare. 
His  hair  was  curled,  his  gown  edged  with  a  sort  of  parti- 
colored silk  lace,  four  or  five  fingers  broad,  much  as  our 

169 


CHINA 

church  copes  are,  and  which  the  mantle  of  this  lama  was 
not  much  unlike.  All  the  civility  which  he  showed  the 
ambassadors  was  to  rise  from  his  seat  when  they  ap- 
peared in  the  pagoda  and  to  continue  standing  the  whole 
time  he  received  their  compliments,  or  rather  adoration. 
The  ceremonial  was  as  follows :  The  ambassadors,  when 
they  were  five  or  six  paces  distant  from  the  lama,  first 
veiled  their  bonnets  to  the  very  ground,  then  prostrated 
themselves  thrice,  striking  the  ground  with  their  fore- 
heads. After  this  adoration,  they  went  one  after  the 
other  to  kneel  at  his  feet.  The  lama  put  his  hands  upon 
their  heads  and  made  them  touch  his  bead-roll,  or  string 
of  beads.  After  this,  the  ambassadors  retired  and  made 
the  same  adoration  a  second  time ;  then  they  went  to  sit 
down  under  canopies  got  ready  on  each  side.  The  coun- 
terfeit god  being  first  seated,  the  ambassadors  took  their 
places,  one  on  his  right  hand,  and  the  other  on  his  left, 
some  of  the  most  considerable  mandarins  seating  them- 
selves next  to  them.  When  they  had  sat  down,  the 
people  of  their  retinue  came  also  to  pay  their  adoration, 
to  receive  the  imposition  of  hands,  and  to  touch  the  bead- 
roll  ;  but  there  were  not  many  there  who  had  this  respect 
shown  them. 

In  the  mean  time  there  was  Tartarian  tea  brought  in  in 
large  silver  pots,  with  a  special  one  for  this  pretended 
immortal  carried  by  a  lama,  who  poured  it  out  for  him 
into  a  fine  china  cup,  which  he  reached  himself  from  a 
silver  stand  that  was  placed  near  him.  The  motion  he  at 
that  time  used  opened  his  mantle,  and  I  observed  that 
his  arms  were  naked  up  to  the  shoulders,  and  that  he 
had  no  other  clothes  under  his  mantle  but  red  and  yel- 
low scarfs,  which  were  wrapped  round  his  body.  He  was 

170 


A  VISIT  TO  A  LAMA 

always  served  first.  The  ambassadors  saluted  him  by 
bowing  the  head  both  before  and  after  drinking  tea, 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  Tartars;  but  he  did  not 
make  the  least  motion  in  return  to  their  civility. 

A  little  after,  a  collation  was  served  up,  a  table  being 
first  set  before  this  living  idol;  then  one  was  set  before 
each  of  the  ambassadors,  and  the  mandarin  who  at- 
tended them.  Pere  Pereira  and  I  had  also  the  same 
honor  done  us.  There  were  upon  these  tables  dishes  of 
certain  wretched  dried  fruits  and  a  sort  of  long  thin 
cakes  made  of  flour  and  oil,  which  had  a  very  strong 
smell.  After  this  collation,  which  I  had  no  inclination 
to  taste  of,  but  with  which  our  Tartars  and  their  attend- 
ants were  very  well  entertained,  tea  was  brought  a 
second  time.  A  little  after,  the  same  tables  were  brought 
in  covered  with  meat  and  rice.  There  was  upon  each 
table  a  large  dish  of  beef  and  mutton  half  dressed,  a 
china  dish  full  of  rice,  very  white  and  clean,  and  another 
of  broth,  and  some  salt  dissolved  in  water  and  vinegar. 
The  same  sort  of  meat  was  set  before  the  attendants 
of  the  ambassadors  who  sat  behind  us.  What  surprised 
me  was  to  see  the  Great  Mandarin  devour  this  meat, 
which  was  half  dressed,  cold,  and  so  hard  that,  having 
put  a  piece  into  my  mouth  only  to  taste  it,  I  was  forced 
to  turn  it  out  again. 

But  there  was  none  played  their  part  so  well  as  two 
Kalkas  Tartars  who  came  in  whilst  we  were  at  table. 
Having  paid  the  adoration  to  and  received  the  imposi- 
tion of  hands  from  the  li\T[ng  idol,  they  fell  upon  one  of 
these  dishes  of  meat  with  a  surprising  appetite,  each  of 
them  taking  a  piece  of  flesh  in  one  hand  and  his  knife 
in  the  other,  and  cutting  unusually  large  slices,  after 

171 


CHINA 

which  they  dipped  them  in  the  salt  and  water,  and  swal- 
lowed them  down. 

All  being  taken  away,  tea  was  brought  once  more, 
after  which  there  was  quite  a  long  conversation,  the 
living  idol  keeping  his  countenance  very  well.  I  don't 
think  that  during  the  whole  time  we  were  there  he  spoke 
more  than  five  or  six  words,  and  that  very  low  and  only 
in  answer  to  some  questions  which  the  ambassadors 
asked  him.  He  kept  continually  turning  his  eyes  around 
and  staring  very  earnestly  on  each  side,  and  sometimes 
smiling.  There  was  another  lama  seated  near  one  of  the 
ambassadors  who  kept  up  the  conversation,  probably 
because  he  was  the  superior,  for  all  the  other  lamas, 
who  waited  at  table  as  well  as  the  servants,  received 
orders  from  him. 

After  a  short  conversation,  the  ambassadors  arose  and 
went  about  the  pagoda  to  take  a  view  of  the  paintings, 
which  are  very  coarse  after  the  manner  of  the  Chinese. 
There  is  not  a  statue  in  it  as  in  other  pagodas,  only  fig- 
ures of  the  deities  painted  on  the  walls.  At  the  bottom 
of  the  pagoda  there  is  a  throne,  or  sort  of  altar,  upon 
which  the  living  idol  is  placed,  having  over  his  head  a 
canopy  of  yellow  silk;  and  here  he  receives  the  adora- 
tion of  the  people.  On  the  sides  there  are  several  lamps, 
though  we  saw  but  one  lighted.  Going  out  of  the  pagoda, 
we  went  upstairs,  where  we  found  a  wretched  gallery, 
with  chambers  on  all  sides  of  it.  In  one  of  them  there  was 
a  child  of  seven  or  eight  years  old,  dressed  and  seated  as 
a  living  idol,  with  a  lamp  burning  by  him.  It  was  prob- 
able this  child  was  designed  one  time  or  other  to  succeed 
the  present  idol,  for  these  deceivers  have  always  one 
ready  to  substitute  in  the  place  of  another  in  case  of 

172 


A   VISIT  TO   A   LAMA 

death,  and  feed  the  stupidity  of  the  Tartars  with  this 
extravagant  notion  that  the  idol  comes  to  life  and  ap- 
pears again  in  the  body  of  a  young  man  into  whom  his 
soul  passed.  This  is  the  reason  for  their  so  great  venera- 
tion for  the  lamas,  whom  they  not  only  implicitly  obey 
in  all  their  commands,  but  make  them  an  offering  of  the 
best  of  everything  they  have ;  and  therefore  some  of  the 
Mongols  of  the  ambassadors'  retinue  paid  the  same  adora- 
tion to  this  child  as  they  had  done  to  the  other  lama. 
This  child  did  not  make  the  least  motion  nor  speak  one 
single  word.  We  found  also  in  another  chamber  a  lama 
singing  his  prayers,  written  upon  leaves  of  coarse  brown 
paper. 

When  our  curiosity  was  satisfied,  our  ambassadors 
took  leave  of  this  impostor,  who  neither  stirred  from  his 
seat  nor  paid  them  the  least  civility,  after  which  they 
went  to  another  pagoda  to  visit  another  living  idol,  who 
came  to  meet  them  the  day  before;  but  Pere  Pereira 
and  I  returned  to  the  camp. 


IX 

THE    FIRST   TWO   CENTURIES 
OF    MANCHU    RULE 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

By  the  fourteenth  century  the  kingdom  founded  by  Kublai 
Khan  had  fallen  to  pieces  and  China  was  once  again  ruled  by 
native  sovereigns.  The  Tartars  still  harassed  the  frontiers, 
however,  and  in  1644  the  warlike  Manchus  were  called  in  to 
defend  the  kingdom  against  them.  They  entered  it  as  con- 
querors and  established  a  Manchu  dynasty  that  ruled  until 
the  revolution  of  191 2. 

Meanwhile,  several  nations  were  seeking  commercial  priv- 
ileges. Portugal,  Holland,  Russia,  and  England  were  all 
eager  to  extend  their  trade.  Russia  met  with  favor,  but  Eng- 
land's attempt  to  make  the  country  into  a  market  for  her 
Indian  opium  aroused  the  just  wrath  of  the  Chinese.  They 
seized  some  twenty  million  dollars'  worth  of  the  drug  and 
destroyed  it.  War  foUow'ed.  By  the  treaty  which  closed  the 
war,  five  ports  were  thrown  open  to  all  nations.  One  year 
later,  in  1844,  the  United  States  signed  a  treaty  with  China; 
but  the  hatred  of  the  Chinese  for  foreigners  made  the  privi- 
leges that  the  Americans  had  won  of  comparatively  small 
value. 

The  Chinese  had  never  been  content  under  their  Manchu 
rulers,  and  in  1850  a  formidable  revolt  broke  out  against 
them  in  southern  China.  TheTai-ping  Rebellion,  as  it  was 
called,  lasted  for  fourteen  years,  but  was  finally  suppressed 
by  General  Gordon  who  was  given  command  of  the  Imperial 
army.  In  1873  the  Chinese  Emperor  for  the  first  time  gave  a 
personal  audience  to  foreign  envoys  without  obliging  them 
to  kow-tow,  or  pay  him  homage,  thus  admitting  the  equality 
of  other  nations  and  putting  an  end  to  the  old  policy  of 
isolation. 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  KALMUCKS 

BY   THOMAS   DE   QUINCEY 

[1771  A.  D.] 

[In  1616,  a  Tartar  tribe,  the  Torgotes,  or  Kalmucks,  left 
China  and  went  to  the  shores  of  the  Caspian  Sea.  The 
Russian  rule,  however,  finally  became  so  unbearable  that 
in  1 77 1  the  descendants  of  these  people  determined  to  re- 
turn to  China.  There  were  six  hundred  thousand  of  them, 
men,  women,  and  children.  Their  flight  began  in  the  winter. 
For  thousands  of  miles  they  waded  through  deep  snow, 
they  crossed  rivers,  they  fought  hostile  tribes  who  pursued 
them  like  demons,  they  suffered  from  famine  and  from  cold 
and  heat.  Of  the  six  hundred  thousand,  one  hundred  and 
forty  thousand  had  died  when  at  last  they  drew  near  to 
the  Great  Wall.  The  following  extract  describes  their  ap- 
proach. 

The  Editor.] 

On  a  fine  morning  of  early  autumn  of  the  year  1771, 
Kien  Long,  the  Emperor  of  China,  was  pursuing  his 
amusements  in  a  wild  frontier  district  lying  on  the  out- 
side of  the  Great  Wall.  For  many  hundred  square  leagues 
the  country  was  desolate  of  inhabitants,  but  rich  in  woods 
of  ancient  growth  and  overrun  with  game  of  every 
description.  In  a  central  spot  of  this  solitary  region  the 
emperor  had  built  a  gorgeous  hunting-lodge,  to  which  he 
resorted  annually  for  recreation  and  relief  from  the  cares 
of  government. 

Led  onwards  in  pursuit  of  game,  he  had  rambled  to  a 
distance  of  two  hundred  miles  or  more  from  his  lodge, 

177 


CHINA 

followed  at  a  little  distance  by  a  sufficient  military 
escort,  and  every  night  pitching  his  tent  in  a  different 
situation,  until  at  length  he  had  arrived  on  the  very 
margin  of  the  vast  central  deserts  of  Asia. 

Here  he  was  standing  by  accident,  at  an  opening  of  his 
pavilion,  enjoying  the  morning  sunshine,  when  suddenly 
to  the  westward  there  arose  a  vast,  cloudy  vapor, 
which  by  degrees  expanded,  mounted,  and  seemed  to  be 
slowly  diffusing  itself  over  the  whole  face  of  the  heav- 
ens. By  and  by  this  vast  sheet  of  mist  began  to  thicken 
toward  the  horizon  and  to  roll  forward  in  billowy 
volumes. 

The  emperor's  suite  assembled  from  all  quarters ;  the 
silver  trumpets  were  sounded  in  the  rear;  and  from  all 
the  glades  and  forest  avenues  began  to  trot  forwards 
towards  the  pavilion  the  yagers  —  half  cavalry,  half 
huntsmen  —  who  composed  the  imperial  escort.  Con- 
jecture was  on  the  stretch  to  divine  the  cause  of  this 
phenomenon;  and  the  interest  continually  increased  in 
proportion  as  simple  curiosity  gradually  deepened  into 
the  anxiety  of  uncertain  danger. 

At  first  it  had  been  imagined  that  some  vast  troops  of 
deer  or  other  wild  animals  of  the  chase  had  been  dis- 
turbed in  their  forest  haunts  by  the  emperor's  movements, 
or  possibly  by  wild  beasts  prowling  for  prey,  and  might 
be  fetching  a  compass  by  way  of  reentering  the  forest 
grounds  at  some  remoter  points,  secure  from  molestation. 
But  this  conjecture  was  dissipated  by  the  slow  increase 
of  the  cloud  and  the  steadiness  of  its  motion.  In  the 
course  of  two  hours  the  vast  phenomenon  had  advanced 
to  a  point  which  was  judged  to  be  within  five  miles  of 
the  spectators,  though  all  calculations  of  distance  were 

178 


THE   COMING   OF   THE   KALMUCKS 

difficult,  and  often  fallacious,  when  applied  to  the  endless 
expanses  of  the  Tartar  deserts. 

Through  the  next  hour,  during  which  the  gentle 
morning  breeze  had  a  little  freshened,  the  dusty 
vapor  had  developed  itself  far  and  wide  into  the  ap- 
pearance of  huge  aerial  draperies,  hanging  in  mighty 
volumes  from  the  sky  to  the  earth;  and  at  particular 
points  where  the  eddies  of  the  breeze  acted  upon  the 
pendulous  skirts  of  these  aerial  curtains,  rents  were 
perceived,  sometimes  taking  the  form  of  regular  arches, 
portals,  and  windows,  through  which  began  dimly  to 
gleam  the  heads  of  camels  "indorsed"  with  human 
beings,  and  at  intervals  the  moving  of  men  and  horses 
in  tumultuous  array,  and  then  through  other  openings, 
or  vistas,  at  far-distant  points,  the  flashing  of  pohshed 
arms. 

But  sometimes,  as  the  wind  slackened  or  died  away, 
all  those  openings,  of  whatever  form,  in  the  cloudy 
pall,  would  slowly  close,  and  for  a  time  the  whole  page- 
ant was  shut  up  from  view;  although  the  growing  din, 
the  clamors,  the  shrieks,  and  groans  ascending  from  in- 
furiated myriads,  reported,  in  a  language  not  to  be  mis- 
understood, what  was  going  on  behind  the  cloudy  screen. 

[These  were  the  Kalmucks,  pursued  by  their  savage  ene- 
mies. The  emperor  had  known  that  they  were  coming,  but 
he  had  no  reason  to  expect  them  for  at  least  three  months. 
By  the  clangor  of  weapons  and  the  cries  of  agony,  he  knew 
what  was  happening.  He  summoned  the  cavalry  and  artillery 
that  always  guarded  him,  and  the  wretched  wanderers  were 
soon  free  from  their  foes.  Food  and  clothes  and  money  and 
land  and  cattle  and  agricultural  implements  were  already 
provided  for  them. 

179 


CHINA 

On  the  margin  of  the  desert  great  columns  of  granite  and 
brass  were  afterwards  reared  with  the  following  inscription, 
telling  the  story  of  this  flight. 

The  Editor.] 

By  the  Will  of  God 

Here,  upon  the  Brink  of  these  Deserts, 

Which  from  this  point  begin  and  stretch  away, 

Pathless,  treeless,  waterless. 

For  thousands  of  miles,  and  along  the  margins  of  many  mighty 

Nations, 

Rested  from  their  labors  and  from  great  afflictions 

Under  the  shadow  of  the  Chinese  Wall, 

And  by  the  favor  of  Kien  Long,  God's  Lieutenant  upon  Earth, 

The  ancient  Children  of  the  Wilderness  —  the  Torgote  Tartars  — 

Flying  before  the  wrath  of  the  Gredan  Czar, 

Wandering  Sheep  who  had  strayed  away  from  the  Celestial  Empire 

in  the  year  1616, 

But  are  now  mercifully  gathered  again,  after  infinite  sorrow, 

Into  the  fold  of  their  forgiving  Shepherd. 

Hallowed  be  the  spot  forever, 

and 

Hallowed  be  the  day  —  September  8,  1771! 

Amen. 


CHINESE  PUNISHMENTS 
BY  pI:re  du  halde 

No  crimes  pass  unpunished  in  China.  The  bastinado 
is  the  common  punishment  for  slight  faults,  and  the  num- 
ber of  blows  is  proportionable  to  the  nature  of  the  fault. 
This  is  the  punishment  which  the  ofiQcers  of  war  imme- 
diately inflict  upon  the  soldiers  who,  being  placed  as 
sentinels  in  the  night  time  in  the  streets  and  public  places 
of  great  cities,  are  found  asleep. 

When  the  number  of  blows  does  not  exceed  twenty,  it 
is  accounted  a  fatherly  correction,  and  not  an  infamous. 
The  emperor  himself  sometimes  commands  it  to  be  in- 
flicted on  great  persons,  and  afterwards  sees  them  and 
treats  them  as  usual. 

A  very  small  matter  will  incur  this  correction ;  as  having 
taken  a  trifle,  said  opprobrious  things,  given  a  few  blows 
with  the  fist.  If  these  things  reach  the  mandarin's  ears, 
he  immediately  sets  the  battoon  at  work.  After  the  cor- 
rection is  over,  they  are  to  kneel  before  the  judge,  bow 
their  bodies  three  times  to  the  earth,  and  thank  him  for 
the  care  he  takes  of  their  education. 

The  instrument  wherewith  he  inflicts  the  bastinado 
is  a  thick  cane,  cloven  in  two,  and  several  feet  long.  The 
lower  part  is  as  broad  as  one's  hand,  and  the  upper  is 
smooth  and  small,  that  it  may  more  easily  be  managed. 
It  is  made  of  the  bamboo,  which  is  a  wood  that  is  hard, 
strong,  and  heavy. 

When  the  mandarin  sits  in  judgment,  he  is  placed  be- 
fore a  table  upon  which  is  a  case  full  of  small  staves  about 

i8i 


CHINA 

half  a  foot  long  and  two  lingers  broad,  and  he  is  sur- 
rounded with  tall  footmen  with  battoons  in  their  hands. 
At  a  certain  sign  that  he  gives  by  taking  out  and  throw- 
ing down  these  staves,  they  seize  the  criminal  and  lay 
him  down  with  his  face  towards  the  ground,  and  as  many 
small  staves  as  the  mandarin  draws  out  of  the  case  and 
throws  on  the  ground,  so  many  footmen  succeed  each 
other,  every  one  giving  five  blows  with  a  battoon  on 
the  guilty  person's  bare  skin. 

However,  it  is  observable  that  four  blows  are  always 
reckoned  as  five,  which  they  call  the  grace  of  the  emperor, 
who  as  a  father  has  compassion  on  the  people,  always 
subtracting  something  from  the  punishment.  There  is 
another  method  of  mitigating  the  punishment,  which  is 
to  bribe  those  that  apply  it,  for  they  have  the  art  of 
managing  in  such  a  manner  that  the  blows  shall  fall  very 
lightly  and  the  punishment  become  almost  insensible. 

It  is  not  only  in  his  tribunal  that  the  mandarin  has 
power  to  give  the  bastinado;  it  is  the  same  thing  in 
whatever  place  he  is,  even  out  of  his  district,  for  which 
reason  when  he  goes  abroad  he  has  always  officers  of 
justice  in  his  train  who  carry  the  battoon. 

As  for  one  of  the  vulgar,  it  is  sufficient  not  to  have 
alighted  if  he  was  on  horseback  when  the  mandarin 
passed  by,  or  to  have  crossed  the  street  in  his  presence, 
to  receive  five  or  six  blows  by  his  order.  The  perform- 
ance of  it  is  so  quick  that  it  is  often  done  before  those 
who  are  present  perceive  anything  of  the  matter. 
Masters  use  the  same  correction  to  their  scholars, 
fathers  to  their  children,  and  noblemen  to  punish  their 
domestics,  with  this  difference  that  the  battoon  is  every 
way  less. 

182 


CHINESE   PUNISHMENTS 

Another  punishment,  less  painful,  but  more  infa- 
mous, is  the  wooden  collar  which  the  Portuguese  have 
called  cangue.  This  cangue  is  composed  of  two  pieces 
of  wood,  hollowed  in  the  middle  to  place  the  neck  of 
the  criminal  in.  When  he  has  been  condemned  by  the 
mandarin,  they  take  these  two  pieces  of  wood,  lay  them 
on  his  shoulders,  and  join  them  together  in  such  a  man- 
ner that  there  is  room  only  for  the  neck.  By  this  means, 
the  person  can  neither  see  his  feet  nor  put  his  hand  to  his 
mouth,  but  is  obliged  to  be  fed  by  some  other  person. 
He  carries  night  and  day  this  disagreeable  load,  which 
is  heavier  or  Hghter  according  to  the  nature  of  the  fault. 
Some  cangues  weigh  two  hundred  pounds,  and  are  so 
troublesome  to  criminals  that  out  of  shame,  confusion, 
pain,  want  of  nourishment  and  sleep,  they  die  under 
them.  Some  are  three  feet  square  and  five  or  six  inches 
thick;  the  common  sort  weigh  fifty  or  sixty  pounds. 

The  criminals  find  different  ways  to  mitigate  the 
punishment.  Some  walk  in  company  with  their  rela- 
tions and  friends,  who  support  the  four  corners  of  the 
cangue  that  it  may  not  gall  their  shoulders.  Others  rest 
it  on  a  table  or  on  a  bench;  others  have  a  chair  made 
proper  to  support  the  four  corners,  and  so  sit  tolerably 
easy. 

When,  in  the  presence  of  the  mandarin,  they  have 
joined  the  two  pieces  of  wood  about  the  neck  of  the 
criminal,  they  paste  on  each  side  two  long  slips  of  paper 
about  four  fingers  broad,  on  which  they  fix  a  seal,  that 
the  two  pieces  which  compose  the  cangue  may  not  be 
separated  without  its  being  perceived.  Then  they  write 
in  large  characters  the  crime  for  which  this  punishment 
is  inflicted  and  the  time  that  it  ought  to  last;  for  instance, 

183 


CHINA 

if  it  be  a  thief  or  seditious  person  or  a  disturber  of  the 
peace  of  families,  a  gamester,  etc.,  he  must  wear  the 
cangue  for  three  months  in  a  particular  place.  The  place 
where  they  are  exposed  is  generally  at  the  gate  of  a 
temple  which  is  much  frequented,  or  where  two  streets 
cross,  or  at  the  gate  of  the  city,  or  in  a  public  square,  or 
even  at  the  principal  gate  of  the  mandarin's  tribunal. 

When  the  time  of  punishment  is  expired,  the  ofl&cers 
of  the  tribunal  bring  back  the  criminal  to  the  mandarin, 
who,  after  having  exhorted  him  to  amend  his  conduct, 
frees  him  from  the  cangue,  and  to  take  his  leave  of  him 
orders  him  twenty  strokes  of  the  battoon,  for  it  is  the 
common  custom  of  the  Chinese  justices  not  to  inflict 
any  punishment  unless  it  be  a  pecuniary  one,  which  is 
not  preceded  and  succeeded  by  the  bastinado,  inasmuch 
that  it  may  be  said  that  the  Chinese  Government  subsists 
by  the  exercise  of  the  battoon. 

Besides  the  punishment  of  the  cangue,  there  are  still 
others  which  are  inflicted  for  slight  faults.  A  missionary 
entering  into  a  tribunal  found  young  people  upon  their 
knees.  Some  bore  on  their  heads  a  stone  weighing  seven 
or  eight  pounds;  others  held  a  book  in  their  hand  and 
seemed  to  read  diligently.  Among  these  was  a  young 
married  man  about  thirty  years  old  who  loved  gaming 
to  excess.  He  had  lost  one  part  of  the  money  with 
which  his  father  had  furnished  him  to  carry  on  his  busi- 
ness; exhortations,  reprimands,  threatenings,  proved 
ineffectual  to  root  out  this  passion,  so  that  his  father, 
being  still  desirous  to  cure  him  of  this  disease,  conducted 
him  to  the  mandarin's  tribunal.  The  mandarin,  who 
was  a  man  of  honor  and  probity,  hearing  the  father's 
complaint,  caused  the  young  man  to  draw  near,  and 


CHINESE   PUNISHMENTS 

after  a  severe  reprimand  and  proper  advice,  he  was  going 
to  have  him  bastinadoed,  when  his  mother  entered  all 
of  a  sudden,  and  throwing  herself  at  the  mandarin's 
feet,  with  tears  in  her  eyes  besought  him  to  pardon  her 
son. 

The  mandarin  granted  her  petition,  and  ordered  a 
book  to  be  brought,  composed  by  the  emperor  for  the 
instruction  of  the  empire,  and  opening  it  chose  the 
article  which  related  to  filial  obedience,  "You  promise 
me,"  he  said  to  the  young  man,  *'to  renounce  play  and 
to  listen  to  your  father's  directions.  I  therefore  pardon 
you  this  time ;  but  go  and  kneel  in  the  gallery  on  the  side 
of  the  hall  of  audience,  and  learn  by  heart  this  article 
of  filial  obedience.  You  shall  not  depart  from  the  tri- 
bunal till  you  repeat  it  and  promise  to  observe  it  the 
remainder  of  your  Hfe."  This  order  was  exactly  put  in 
execution.  The  young  man  remained  three  days  in  the 
gallery,  learned  the  article,  and  was  dismissed. 

There  are  some  crimes  for  which  the  criminals  are 
marked  on  the  cheek,  and  the  mark  which  is  impressed 
is  a  Chinese  character  signifying  their  crime.  There 
are  others  for  which  they  are  condemned  to  banishment 
or  to  draw  the  royal  barques.  This  servitude  lasts  no 
longer  than  three  years.  As  for  banishment,  it  is  often 
perpetual,  especially  if  Tartary  is  the  place  of  exile; 
but  before  they  depart,  they  are  sure  to  be  bastinadoed ; 
and  the  number  of  blows  is  proportionable  to  their 
crime. 

Unless  in  some  extraordinary  cases,  which  are  men- 
tioned in  the  body  of  the  Chinese  laws,  or  for  which 
the  emperor  permits  immediate  execution  upon  the 
spot,  no  mandarin  or  superior  tribunal  can  pronounce 

185 


CHINA 

definitively  the  sentence  of  death.  The  judgments  of  all 
crimes  worthy  of  death  are  to  be  examined,  decided,  and 
subscribed  by  the  emperor.  The  mandarins  send  to 
court  the  account  of  the  trials  and  their  decision,  men- 
tioning the  particular  law  on  which  their  sentence  is 
founded ;  for  instance,  "  Such  a  one  is  guilty  of  a  crime, 
and  the  law  declares  that  those  who  are  convicted  of  it 
shall  be  strangled,  for  which  reason  I  have  condemned 
him  to  be  strangled." 

These  informations  being  come  to  court,  the  superior 
tribunal  of  criminal  affairs  examines  the  fact,  the  cir- 
cumstances, and  the  decision.  If  the  fact  is  not  clearly 
proved  or  the  tribunal  has  need  of  fresh  information, 
it  presents  a  memorial  to  the  emperor  containing  the 
proof  of  the  crime  and  the  sentence  of  the  inferior  man- 
darin, and  it  adds,  "To  give  a  just  judgment  it  seems 
necessary  that  we  should  be  informed  of  such  a  circum- 
stance ;  therefore  we  think  it  requisite  to  refer  the  matter 
to  such  a  mandarin  that  he  may  clear  up  the  difficulty 
that  lies  in  our  way."  The  emperor  gives  what  order 
he  pleases;  but  his  clemency  always  inclines  him  to  do 
what  is  desired,  that  a  man's  life  may  not  be  taken  away 
for  a  slight  cause  and  without  sufficient  proof.  When  the 
superior  has  received  the  information  that  it  required, 
it  presents  a  second  time  the  deliberation  to  the  emperor. 
Then  the  emperor  either  confirms  the  sentence  or  dimin- 
ishes the  rigor  of  the  punishment.  Sometimes  he  sends 
back  the  memorial,  writing  these  words  with  his  own 
hand,  "Let  the  tribunal  deliberate  further  upon  this 
matter  and  make  their  report  to  me."  Every  part  of  the 
judicature  is  extremely  scrupulous  when  a  man's  life 
is  concerned. 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  HEAVEN,  PEKING 


THE   TEMPLE   OF   HEAVEN,   PEKING 

It  has  been  rather  unkindly  declared  that  China  has  no 
architecture.  However  that  may  be,  she  has  certainly  some 
extremely  interesting  buildings.  The  most  peculiar  of  these 
are  the  pagodas,  or  taas,  as  the  Chinese  call  them.  These 
are  high,  tapering  towers,  built  in  stories,  each  story  with  a 
projecting  roof.  Generally  these  roofs  have  an  appearance  of 
sagging  like  an  awning  or  a  tent.  Light  bells  are  hung  upon 
them,  which  tinkle  in  the  breeze.  The  towers  are  made  of 
brick,  covered  with  either  marble  or  glazed  tiles.  Some  of 
these  structures  are  thirteen  stories  in  height. 

The  temples  are  built  on  this  same  general  plan,  but  have 
pavilions  for  idols,  rooms  for  priests,  and  inclosures  for  ani- 
mals to  be  used  in  sacrifice.  The  Temple  of  Heaven  at  Peking, 
with  its  triple  roof  and  deep-blue  porcelain  tiles,  is  the  most 
imposing  of  all  Confucian  temples.  Here  the  Emperor  of 
China  was  wont  to  offer  sacrifice  every  twenty-second  of 
December,  and  also  whenever  drought  or  famine  called  for 
the  special  favor  of  the  god  Shang-ti. 

The  dwellings  of  the  Chinese  must  by  law  correspond 
to  the  rank  of  the  owners.  A  common  plan  is  to  make  the 
house  about  four  times  as  deep  as  it  is  wide,  with  a  broad 
passage  from  the  front  to  the  dining-room,  which  runs  across 
the  house  in  the  rear.  The  kitchen  is  behind  this.  The 
larger  rooms  may  at  a  moment's  notice  be  divided  by  mov- 
able partitions,  which  are  always  kept  ready.  The  Chinese 
begin  a  building  by  first  making  a  roof  supported  by  wooden 
posts.   As  the  walls  are  built,  these  posts  are  removed. 


WHY   THE   CHINAMAN  WEARS  A  QUEUE 

BY   WILLIAM    ELLIOT    GRIFFIS 

The  mark  of  nationality  among  these  northeastern 
Tartars  [the  Manchus]  was  the  queue.  They  shaved 
the  whole  front  of  the  scalp  and  then  let  their  hair  grow 
behind  into  a  long  tail.  A  young  Manchu  warrior  was  as 
proud  of  his  tail  of  hair  as  a  Mohawk  or  Pawnee  Indian 
was  of  his  scalp-lock. 

Before  this  time,  the  Chinese  wore  their  hair  as  the 
Koreans  do,  that  is,  done  up  in  a  sort  of  knot  or  chignon 
at  the  back  of  the  head.  Thus  it  happens  that  Chinese, 
on  first  coming  to  Korea,  are  amused  at  seeing  the  fash- 
ion of  topknots  prevalent,  just  as  it  was  among  their 
ancestors  of  the  Ming  period.  If  short  by  nature,  the 
queue  was  lengthened  out,  by  means  of  black  silk  or 
false  hair,  so  as  to  reach  below  the  knees.  In  China  this 
queue  became  the  solemn  mark  of  loyalty  to  the  Manchu 
sovereign.  Millions  of  natives  were  slaughtered  before 
they  would  submit  their  heads  to  the  razor.  Although 
Chinese  males  wash  their  own  clothes,  being  laundrymen 
by  habit,  they  do  not  shave  themselves,  but  pay  for  their 
tonsure.  To  the  Manchus  the  barbers  of  China  are  very 
grateful. 

Until  our  twentieth  century,  in  China,  not  to  wear 
the  queue,  or  to  cut  it  off,  was  a  sign  of  disloyalty  to  the 
emperor.  Some  of  the  anti-dynastic  secret  societies 
showed  their  enmity  to  the  Peking  rulers  by  secretly 
snipping  off  the  queues  of  prominent  citizens,  or  men  high 
in  office,  thus  bringing  disgrace  and  shame  upon  them. 

187 


CHINA 

Nevertheless  the  Chinese  are  not  peculiar  in  priding 
themselves  on  their  hair  tails,  for  it  was  the  fashion 
with  Europeans  and  Americans  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury to  wear  them.  Most  of  the  Continental  soldiers 
and  sailors  in  the  Revolution  had  pigtails  which  they 
larded,  powdered,  or  wore  in  eelskins,  looking  just  as 
funny  as  do  the  Chinese.  In  every  country  in  the  world 
there  is  a  language  of  hair.  The  fashions  of  hair  and 
head-gear  serve  as  signs  of  nationality,  sex,  marital 
promise  or  condition.  The  Japanese,  however,  cut  off 
their  topknots  in  1870,  the  Koreans  two  decades  later, 
and  the  Chinese  are  now  slowly  following  the  example 
of  the  world  at  large.  In  China,  whether  with  or  without 
hair  tails,  the  men  follow  a  uniform  fashion,  but  there  is 
an  amazing  variety  among  the  women  in  arranging  their 
tresses. 

When  the  Manchus  appeared  before  the  oft-besieged 
and  many  times  captured  city  of  Liao-yang,  the  people 
submitted  to  their  new  masters,  giving  signs  of  their 
sincerity  by  shaving  the  front  part  of  their  scalps  and 
waiting  for  their  queues  to  grow. 


HOW  THE   CHINESE   RECEIVED  THE  FIRST 
ENGLISH  AMBASSADOR 

BY   CHARLES    GUTZLAFF 
[1792  A.D.] 

[For  many  centuries  China  had  little  intercourse  with  other 
countries.  Various  European  nations  tried  to  form  commer- 
cial relations  with  her,  and  there  was  buying  and  selling  be- 
tween them,  but  it  was  most  unsatisfactory.  The  rules  made 
by  the  Chinese  were  as  fickle  as  the  wind.  Often  the  mer- 
chants, or  "foreign  devils,"  as  the  Chinese  called  them,  were 
in  danger  of  their  lives.  Several  nations  had  sent  representa- 
tives to  China,  and  in  1792  England  decided  to  send  Lord 
Macartney  as  an  ambassador  to  the  emperor  in  the  hope  of 
establishing  safe  and  reasonable  relations  of  trade. 

Even  before  the  ambassador  landed,  the  tricky  Chinamen 
contrived  to  run  up  a  flag  on  the  vessel  that  bore  him  up  the 
Peiho,  whereon  was  written  "Tribute-bearer  from  England." 
This  was  quite  in  accordance  with  the  Chinese  custom  of 
claiming  all  gifts  as  tribute.  Another  custom  of  theirs  was 
that  whoever  approached  the  throne  of  the  emperor  must 
perform  the  kotow,  that  is,  must  kneel  three  times,  and  at 
each  kneeling  must  bow  three  times  till  his  head  touched  the 
floor.  This  was  the  way  in  which  the  greater  idols  were  ap- 
proached and  signified  that  the  emperor  was  a  god.  Lord 
Macartney  told  the  Chinese  legate  that  he  would  not  perform 
the  kotow  unless  a  high  officer  of  state  would  kotow  before  a 
picture  of  the  King  of  England.  The  emperor  finally  agreed 
to  admit  the  ambassador,  who  bent  his  knee,  as  he  would 
have  done  before  his  own  sovereign. 

The  Editor.] 

On  the  day  of  audience  the  ambassadors  were  ushered 
into  the  garden  of  Jeho,    Tents  had  been  pitched;  the 

189 


CHINA 

imperial  one  had  nothing  magnificent,  but  was  distin- 
guished from  all  the  others  by  its  yellow  color.  The 
imperial  family,  as  well  as  mandarins  of  the  first  rank, 
had  all  collected.  Shortly  after  daylight  the  sound  of 
musical  instruments  announced  the  approach  of  the 
emperor.  He  was  seated  in  an  open  chair,  borne  by  six- 
teen men,  and  seen  emerging  from  a  grove  in  the  back- 
ground. Clad  in  a  plain  dark  silk  with  a  velvet  bonnet 
and  a  pearl  in  front  of  it,  he  wore  no  other  distinguish- 
ing mark  of  his  high  rank.  As  soon  as  the  monarch  was 
seated  upon  his  throne,  the  master  of  the  ceremonies 
led  the  ambassador  toward  the  steps.  The  latter 
approached,  bent  his  knee,  and  handed,  in  a  casket 
set  with  diamonds,  the  letter  addressed  to  His  Imperial 
Majesty  by  the  King  of  England.  The  emperor  assured 
him  of  the  satisfaction  he  felt  at  the  testimony  which  His 
Britannic  Majesty  gave  him  of  his  esteem  and  good  will 
in  sending  him  an  embassy  with  a  letter  and  rare  pres- 
ents; that  he  on  his  part  entertained  sentiments  of  the 
same  kind  toward  the  sovereign  of  Great  Britain,  and 
hoped  that  harmony  would  always  be  maintained 
between  their  respective  subjects.  He  then  presented 
to  the  ambassador  a  stone  scepter,  whilst  he  graciously 
received  the  private  presents  of  the  principal  person- 
ages of  the  embassy.  He  was  perfectly  good-humored, 
and  especially  pleased  with  the  son  of  Sir  G.  Staunton, 
who  talked  a  little  Chinese,  and  received  as  a  token  of 
imperial  favor  a  yellow  plain  tobacco  pouch  with  the 
figure  of  the  five-clawed  dragon  embroidered  upon  it. 
Afterward  the  ambassadors  from  Burmah  and  little 
Bukharia  were  introduced  and  performed  the  nine  pros- 
trations. A  sumptuous  banquet  was  then  served  up,  and 

190 


THE   FIRST  ENGLISH   AMBASSADOR 

after  their  departure  they  had  presents  sent  to  them 
consisting  of  silks,  porcelain,  and  teas.  Upon  an  appli- 
cation made  to  the  prime  minister,  respecting  a  merchant 
ship  which  had  accompanied  the  ambassador's  frigate, 
they  received  the  most  flattering  answer,  and  every 
request  was  fully  granted  to  them.  Having  accompanied 
the  embassy,  the  ship  was  to  pay  no  duty.  After  their 
return  to  Peking,  it  was  intimated  to  them  that  His 
Majesty,  on  his  way  to  Yuen-ming-yuen,  would  be  de- 
Hghted  if  the  ambassador  came  to  meet  him  on  the 
road.  When  the  emperor  observed  him,  he  stopped  short 
and  graciously  addressed  him.  He  was  carried  in  a  chair 
and  followed  by  a  clumsy  cart,  which  could  not  be  dis- 
tinguished from  other  vehicles  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
yeUow  cloth  over  it.  On  his  arrival  at  Yuen-ming-yTien, 
he  viewed  with  great  delight  the  various  presents  which 
the  ambassador  had  brought  with  him.  A  model  of  the 
"Royal  Sovereign,"  a  ship  of  war  of  a  hundred  and  ten 
guns,  attracted  much  of  his  notice. 

In  consequence  of  this  embassy.  His  Imperial  Majesty 
called  together  a  council  to  deliberate  what  answer 
ought  to  be  given  to  the  letter.  The  result  of  this  con- 
ference was  that  the  ambassador  was  given  to  under- 
stand that,  as  the  winter  approached,  he  ought  to  be 
thinking  about  his  departure.  At  an  interview  with  the 
minister  of  state,  to  which  he  was  invited  in  the  palace, 
he  found  the  emperor's  answer  contained  in  a  large  roll 
covered  with  yellow  silk  and  placed  in  a  chair  of  state. 
From  thence  it  was  sent  into  the  ambassador's  hotel, 
accompanied  by  several  presents.  News  which  arrived 
from  Canton,  stating  the  probabiHty  of  a  rupture  be- 
tween England  and   the  French  Republic,   hastened 

191 


CHINA 

the  departure  of  the  ambassador.  He  had  been  very 
anxious  to  obtain  some  privileges  for  the  British  trade, 
but  the  prime  minister  was  as  anxious  to  evade  all  con- 
versation upon  business.  The  splendid  embassy  was 
only  viewed  as  a  congratulatory  mission  and  treated 
as  such.  The  Chinese  were  certainly  not  wanting  in 
politeness,  nor  did  the  emperor  even  treat  them  rudely; 
but  empty  compliments  were  not  the  object  of  this 
expensive  expedition. 

[The  next  English  ambassador,  Lord  Amherst,  who  came 
in  1817,  refused  to  kotow,  was  told  that  he  was  a  rude  man 
who  did  not  know  how  to  behave,  and  was  bidden  to  go 
home  at  once. 

The  Editor.] 


OPIUM-EATERS 

BY  WILLIAM   SPEER 

[The  Chinese  were  certainly  the  most  exasperating  of  mor- 
tals, but  trade  with  them  was  growing  more  and  more  valu- 
able, especially  to  the  English,  for  in  British  India  there  were 
vast  fields  of  the  poppy  from  which  opium  is  obtained.  The 
Chinese  were  fast  becoming  a  nation  of  opium-users.  The 
emperor  forbade  the  introduction  of  the  drug  into  China;  but 
it  was  easy  to  bribe  the  Chinese  oflScials,  and  the  quantity 
sold  increased  every  year.  This  is  the  way  its  effects  are 
described  by  a  man  who  lived  in  the  country  for  many  years. 

The  Editor.] 

The  face  becomes  pale  and  haggard,  the  eyes  moist 
and  vacant,  the  whole  expression  miserable  and  idiotic. 
The  body  wastes  to  a  skeleton,  the  joints  are  tortured 
with  pain.  The  sensation  of  gnawing  in  the  stomach 
when  deprived  of  the  drug  is  described  by  those  addicted 
to  its  use  to  be  like  the  tearing  of  its  tender  coats  by  the 
claws  of  an  animal  of  prey,  while  a  return  to  it  fills  the 
brain  with  horrid  and  tormenting  visions  like  the  mania 
of  delirium  tremens.  I  have  seen  strong  men,  when 
unable  to  obtain  their  accustomed  dose,  crazy  with  the 
suffering,  the  face  crimsoned  in  some  cases,  and  the 
perspiration  streaming  down  in  a  shower.  Few  indi- 
viduals of  those  whom  it  possesses  are  able  to  find  a 
sufficient  antidote.  The  subject  lingers  a  few  years, 
and  a  dreary  and  unpitied  death  ends  the  scene. 


A   "BOSTON   TEA-PARTY"   IN    CfflNA 

BY    WILLIAM   SPEER 

[Some  of  the  Chinese  officials  urged  the  emperor  to  allow 
the  sale  of  opium.  The  traders  would  pay  him  a  large  tax, 
they  said,  and  thus  an  immense  revenue  would  come  to  the 
Government,  The  emperor  positively  refused,  "I  will  not 
receive  a  revenue,"  he  declared,  "from  a  thing  that  will 
destroy  the  lives  and  happiness  of  my  people," 

The  Editor.] 

In  January,  1839,  the  Government  sent  the  police 
to  search  the  native  houses  of  Canton  and  seize  opium 
wherever  found.  This  led  to  a  curious  scene,  highly 
characteristic  of  the  democratic  character  of  the  Chinese 
institutions  and  the  independence  of  the  people.  The 
people  would  not  allow  the  search  to  begin  until  they 
had  first  searched  the  policemen,  who  were  generally 
known  as  the  greatest  opium-smokers  in  the  city.  A 
few  days  after  this,  the  Canton  authorities  caused  a 
native  opium-smuggler  to  be  executed  in  front  of  the 
factories,  whereupon  all  the  foreign  flags  were  immedi- 
ately struck.  The  governor  took  no  notice  of  a  remon- 
strance addressed  to  him  by  Captain  Eliot,  the  British 
superintendent  of  trade. 

A  week  after  these  occurrences  the  celebrated  Com- 
missioner Lin  arrived  from  court,  vested  with  the  most 
absolute  powers  that  were  ever  delegated  by  the  emperor. 
When  he  arrived  at  Canton,  there  were  several  British 
ships  in  the  river,  having  not  less  than  twenty  thousand 
chests  of  opium  on  board.  These  he  demanded  should  be 

194 


A   "BOSTON  TEA-PARTY"   IN   CHINA 

given  up  without  delay,  to  be  destroyed.  He  blockaded 
the  factories,  and  even  threatened  to  put  the  occupants 
to  death;  on  which  the  British  superintendent  —  Cap- 
tain Eliot  —  deemed  it  advisable  to  agree  to  the  sur- 
render of  the  opium,  in  order  to  secure  the  safety  of  his 
countrymen.  Several  weeks  were  occupied  in  the  land- 
ing of  the  forfeited  drug,  during  which  the  merchants 
were  still  detained  in  the  factories ;  but  as  soon  as  it  was 
ascertained  that  all  the  chests  had  been  brought  on 
shore,  the  troops  were  withdrawn  and  the  captives  left 
at  Kberty  to  depart. 

In  the  mean  time  the  commissioner  had  sent  to  Peking 
for  instructions  how  to  dispose  of  the  property  he  had 
seized,  and  received  the  following  order,  in  the  name  of 
the  emperor:  "Lin  and  his  colleagues  are  to  assemble 
the  civil  and  military  officers  and  destroy  the  opium  be- 
fore their  eyes ;  thus  manifesting  to  the  natives  dwelUng 
on  the  seacoast  and  the  foreigners  of  the  outside  nations 
an  awful  warning.  Respect  this.  Obey  respectfully." 
In  obedience  to  this  command,  on  the  3d  of  June,  1839, 
the  high  commissioner,  accompanied  by  all  the  officers, 
proceeded  to  Chan-hau,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
where  large  trenches  had  been  dug,  into  which  the  opium 
was  thrown,  with  a  quantity  of  quicklime,  salt,  and  water, 
so  that  it  was  decomposed,  and  the  mixture  ran  into  the 
sea.  The  operations  for  destroying  the  drug  continued 
about  twenty  days,  and  were  witnessed  on  the  i6th  by 
several  English  merchants,  who  had  an  interview  with 
Commissioner  Lin.  The  market  value  of  the  property 
at  the  time  was  about  twelve  millions  of  Spanish  dollars. 

[Great  Britain  demanded  that  China  should  pay  this 
twelve  millions  of  Spanish  dollars.   China  had  no  idea  of 

195 


CHINA 

doing  any  such  thing,  and  therefore  war  was  declared.  The 
Chinese  firmly  believed  that  they  were  the  best  soldiers  in 
the  world  and  had  the  best  weapons.  When  they  were  con- 
fronted by  English  troops  and  English  artillery,  and  especially 
when  they  found  that  these  foreigners  had  so  little  regard  for 
their  notions  of  military  etiquette  as  to  attack  a  fort  from  the 
rear,  and,  what  was  almost  as  bad,  actually  to  capture  it, 
they  were  horrified.  Of  course,  such  a  war  could  have  but  one 
ending.  The  Chinese  were  obliged  to  pay  twenty-one  millions 
of  dollars,  to  open  the  ports  of  Canton,  Amoy,  Foo-chow, 
Ningpo,  and  Shanghai  to  foreign  trade  with  a  definite  tariff, 
and  to  allow  foreigners  to  reside  in  these  cities.  The  island  of 
Hong-Kong  was  to  be  given  to  England;  British  prisoners 
were  to  be  released,  and  all  Chinese  who  had  been  in  the  serv- 
ice of  the  English  were  to  be  pardoned.  It  was  agreed  that 
intercourse  between  the  rulers  of  the  two  nations  should  be 
on  terms  of  perfect  equality. 

The  Editor.] 


WHAT  THE   CHINESE   THOUGHT  ABOUT 

THE  ENGLISH 

(From  a  paper  that  was  agreed  to  at  a  great  public  meeting  in 
Canton) 

Behold  that  vile  English  nation!  Its  ruler  is  at  one 
time  a  woman,  then  a  man,  and  then  perhaps  a  woman 
again ;  its  people  are  at  one  time  like  vultures,  and  then 
they  are  Hke  wild  beasts,  with  dispositions  more  fierce 
and  furious  than  the  tiger  or  wolf,  and  natures  more 
greedy  than  anacondas  or  swine.  These  people  have  long 
steadily  devoured  all  the  western  barbarians,  and  like 
demons  of  the  night,  they  now  suddenly  exalt  themselves 
here.  During  the  reigns  of  the  emperors  Kien-lung  and 
Kia-king  these  English  barbarians  humbly  besought  an 
entrance  and  permission  to  deliver  tribute  and  presents ; 
they  afterwards  presumptuously  asked  to  have  Chu- 
san;  but  our  sovereigns,  clearly  perceiving  their  traitor- 
ous designs,  gave  them  a  determined  refusal.  From  that 
time,  linking  themselves  with  traitorous  Chinese  traders, 
they  have  carried  on  a  large  trade  and  poisoned  our 
brave  people  with  opium.  Verily,  the  English  barbarians 
murder  all  of  us  that  they  can.  They  are  dogs,  whose 
desires  can  never  be  satisfied.  Therefore  we  need  not 
inquire  whether  the  peace  they  have  now  made  be  real 
or  pretended.  Let  us  all  rise,  arm,  unite,  and  go  against 
them.  We  do  here  bind  ourselves  to  vengeance,  and 
express  these  our  sincere  intentions  in  order  to  exhibit 
our  high  principles  and  patriotism.  The  gods  from  on 
high  now  look  down  on  us;  let  us  not  lose  our  just  and 
firm  resolution. 


HOW   THE   "ARROW   WAR"   BEGAN 

BY  W.   A.    P.    MARTIN 

[In  1850  what  has  been  called  an  "old-fashioned  rebellion" 
broke  out  in  China.  The  leader  was  one  Hung  Sew-tseuen. 
He  called  himself  a  Christian,  and  made  his  camp  into  a  sort 
of  Sunday  School,  though  some  of  the  doctrines  taught  there 
were  anything  but  Christian.  His  followers  called  their 
leader  Tai-ping  Wang,  that  is,  "Prince  of  Peace,"  because 
they  believed  that  his  victory  would  drive  the  Tartar  rule 
from  the  country  and  would  give  the  throne  to  Chinese  sov- 
ereigns forever.  There  were  neither  telegraphs  nor  railroads 
in  the  land.  A  leader  "could  collect  about  him  a  few  thou- 
sand malcontents,  swoop  down  on  a  city,  add  it  to  his  force, 
and  continue  without  much  opposition  until  one  or  more  pro- 
vinces and  an  army  of  two  hundred  thousand  men  stood  at 
his  back,  before  the  imperial  ears  at  Peking  had  received  a 
hint  as  to  the  disturbance."  ^  For  some  years  Hung  Sew- 
tseuen  met  with  much  success.  In  1853  he  captured  Nanking 
and  proclaimed  himself  emperor. 

This  was  trouble  sufl5cient  for  an  empire;  but  while  this 
rebellion  was  still  going  on,  the  "Arrow  War"  broke  out. 

The  Editor] 

In  the  autumn  of  1856  a  chance  spark  at  Canton  pro- 
duced an  explosion  that  shook  the  empire  and  opened 
wider  the  breach  already  made  in  the  wall  of  exclusive- 
ness.  The  occurrence  was  on  this  wise.  The  lorcha 
Arrow,  a  Chinese  vessel  flying  the  British  flag,  —  a  priv- 
ilege for  which  she  had,  in  conformity  with  a  vicious  sys- 
tem then  in  vogue,  paid  a  small  fee  to  the  Government 
of  Hong-Kong, — was  seized  by  the  Chinese  authorities, 
^  Rounsevelle  Wildman. 
198 


HOW  THE   "ARROW   WAR"   BEGAN 

and  her  crew  thrown  into  prison  on  a  charge  of  piracy. 
The  British  Consul  lodged  a  protest  claiming  jurisdic- 
tion on  the  ground  that  the  lorcha  was  registered  in  a 
British  colony,  and  demanding,  not  merely  that  the 
prisoners  be  restored  to  the  deck  of  their  vessel,  but  that 
the  British  flag  be  hoisted  at  the  masthead,  in  expiation 
of  the  affront  offered  in  hauling  it  down. 

The  viceroy,  who  was  notoriously  proud  and  obstinate, 
yielded  so  far  as  to  send  the  captives  under  guard  to  the 
consulate.  It  takes  two  to  make  a  quarrel,  but  no  two 
could  be  better  fitted  to  produce  one  and  to  nurse  it  into 
a  war  than  the  two  who  were  parties  in  this  dispute. 
Had  prompt  release  of  the  captives  been  accepted  as  suf- 
ficient amends,  there  would  have  been  no  war  —  at  least, 
no  "Arrow  War";  but  the  consul,  young,  hot-headed,  and 
inexperienced,  unwilling  to  abate  a  jot  of  his  demands, 
refused  to  receive  the  captives.  They  were  carried  back 
to  the  viceroy,  who,  in  a  fit  of  anger,  ordered  them  to  be 
beheaded.  He  was  a  truculent  wretch,  who  boasted  of 
the  thousands  he  had  decapitated  for  compHcity  in  re- 
bellion; no  wonder,  therefore,  that  he  was  hasty  in  cut- 
ting off  the  heads  of  a  dozen  boatmen. 

At  this  stage  the  consul  referred  the  matter  to  the 
Governor  of  Hong-Kong,  and  the  viceroy  proving  ob- 
durate to  all  attempts  to  extract  an  apology,  the  gover- 
nor placed  the  affair  in  the  hands  of  Admiral  Seymour. 
That  brave  officer,  having  lost  an  eye  by  the  explosion  of 
a  Russian  torpedo  in  the  Baltic,  could  see  only  one  way 
to  negotiate.  Appearing  before  the  city,  he  invited  the 
viceroy  to  meet  him  outside  the  gates.  The  stubborn  old 
mandarin  declining  the  interview,  he  announced  his  in- 
tention of  calling  at  the  vice-regal  palace.   This  he  did 

199 


CHINA 

at  the  hour  named,  though  he  had  to  blow  up  one  of  the 
city  gates  in  order  to  keep  his  engagement.  He,  how- 
ever, reckoned  without  his  host ;  the  viceroy  was  not  at 
home;  and  the  little  squad  of  marines,  only  three  hun- 
dred, withdrew  to  their  ships,  their  daring  feat  having 
had  no  other  effect  than  to  fan  a  firebrand  into  a  con- 
flagration. Scarcely  had  they  retired  when  the  foreign 
quarter  was  set  on  fire  by  an  infuriated  populace.  The 
foreigners  took  refuge  on  the  shipping,  and  the  shipping 
dropped  down  the  river  to  Hong-Kong. 

The  little  settlement  at  Hong-Kong  was  in  no  small 
peril,  its  chief  danger  being  a  possible  rising  of  the  Chi- 
nese. But  overwhelming  as  were  their  numbers,  they  re- 
frained from  open  action,  trusting,  perhaps,  to  the  effect 
of  poison,  which  Alum,  the  city  baker,  mixed  with  his 
dough.  The  mixture  was  too  strong  and  defeated  its  ob- 
ject; only  two  or  three  died,  though  many  suffered;  and 
it  was  agreed  on  all  hands  that  for  once  there  was  too 
much  alum  in  the  bread. 

This  rupture  was  recognized  as  the  beginning  of  a  war, 
and  troops  were  dispatched  to  the  scene. 


RECEIVING  THE   YELLOW  JACKET 

BY   A.    EGMONT   HAKE 

[The  treaty  which  closed  the  war  was  signed  in  i860.  The 
Manchus  were  then  free  to  suppress  Hung  Sew-tseuen  —  if 
they  could.  By  this  time  they  had  learned  that  the  Chinese 
army  was  not  the  mightiest  force  in  the  world,  and  they 
appealed  to  their  former  foes.  Major  Gordon,  afterwards 
General  Gordon,  took  command,  and  now  the  fortunes  of  the 
rebels  changed.  In  1864  they  were  completely  suppressed. 
The  greatest  honor  that  could  be  shown  to  Major  Gordon 
was  to  bestow  upon  him  the  order  of  the  Yellow  Jacket.  Of 
course  this,  like  all  Chinese  proceedings,  was  carried  on  with 
a  vast  amount  of  ceremony. 

The  Editor.] 

The  Emperor  of  China  had  granted  to  Gordon  for  his 
eminent  services  the  distinguished  order  of  the  Yellow 
Jacket.  The  number  of  the  recipients  of  this  order  is, 
I  believe,  limited  to  twelve,  and  these  twelve  constitute 
His  Imperial  Majesty's  bodyguard.  Gordon  had  received 
during  our  absence  from  the  camp  of  instruction  a  noti- 
fication that  the  distinguished  Chinese  officials  who 
were  deputed  to  invest  him  with  his  order  had  arrived 
from  Peking,  and  were  awaiting  his  pleasure  to  settle 
when  the  ceremony  of  investiture  should  take  place.  A 
very  large  force  of  Imperial  Chinese  troops  arrived  and 
stockaded  themselves  about  three  miles  from  us,  gun- 
boats conve>dng  and  escorting  the  Chinese  dignitaries 
arrived,  and  an  enormous  amount  of  gunpowder  was 
burnt  in  the  way  of  salutes  to  them.  It  was  decided  that 
the  ceremony  should  take  place  at  the  camp  of  instruc- 

201 


CHINA 

tion,  and  two  very  large  marquee  tents  were  pitched  for 
the  ceremony. 

The  day  arrived.  All  the  Chinese  officials  wore  their 
gorgeous  robes.  The  air  smelt  of  the  villainous  powder 
that  they  burnt  in  the  countless  salutes  and  crackers  let 
off  to  do  honor  to  the  occasion,  and  countless  banners 
and  flags  of  all  hues  were  flying.  Altogether  it  was  a  very 
bright  and  animated  scene.  For  some  two  or  three  hours 
Gordon  did  nothing  but  put  on  one  suit  of  clothes,  take 
them  off  and  put  on  another,  and  to  onlookers  it  became 
rather  monotonous.  The  donning  of  the  yellow  jacket 
with  all  its  paraphernalia  was  the  climax  of  this  interesting 
scene.  More  guns  fired,  crackers  fizzed  and  burst,  gongs 
were  clashed,  and  huge  brass  horns  brayed.  The  Chinese 
officials  went  down  on  their  knees  and  appeared  as  if 
seized  with  a  sudden  desire  to  find  out  which  was  the 
softer,  their  heads  or  the  ground.  After  trying  conclu- 
sions with  the  ground  three  times  all  got  up,  looking  very 
solemn,  bewildered,  and  marching  about  the  place  with 
spectacles  and  hats  in  very  dissipated  positions  on  their 
faces  and  heads,  and  garments  very  much  disarranged. 
All  the  time  that  this  was  going  on,  Gordon's  face  bore 
a  sort  of  half-amused,  half-satirical  smile,  and,  though 
he  hated  the  whole  ceremony  and  fuss,  still,  he  entered 
into  the  whole  affair  with  interest,  asked  about  the  va- 
rious garments,  and  made  comical  allusions  to  his  appear- 
ance in  them.  Altogether  the  ceremony  lasted  close  on 
five  hours.  This  over,  the  Chinese  dignitaries  left  in  the 
same  ostentatious  and  noisy  way  as  they  had  arrived. 

The  paraphernalia  connected  with  the  order  of  the 
Yellow  Jacket  is  very  considerable,  and  the  outfit  must 
have  cost  a  very  large  sum  of  money,  as  it  comprises  silk 

202 


RECEIVING   THE   YELLOW   JACKET 

dresses,  robes,  jackets,  hats,  caps,  boots,  shoes,  fans, 
girdles,  thumb  rings  of  jade,  and  necklaces  for  all  sea- 
sons and  occasions.  The  outfit  sent  down  by  the  em- 
peror was  in  fair-sized  wood  boxes  covered  with  white 
parchment,  and  the  device  of  the  Imperial  dragon  in 
red  painted  on  them.  Each  box  contained  a  complete 
suit  appertaining  to  the  order;  how  many  there  were 
altogether  I  forget,  but  there  were  a  great  number. 


X 

LANGUAGE,    SCHOOLS,   AND 
EXAMINATIONS 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

A  NATIONAL  system  of  education  has  been  one  of  the  strong- 
est forces  in  holding  together  the  different  races  that  make 
up  the  Chinese  nation.  For  seventeen  centuries  all  Govern- 
ment offices  have  been  filled  by  civil  service  examinations 
and  consequently  education  is  eagerly  sought  after  by  all 
classes. 

The  Chinese  language  is  extremely  difficult  to  master. 
Words  have  but  one  syllable,  and  the  same  word  may  be  a 
noun,  adjective,  verb  or  adverb,  masculine  or  feminine,  sing- 
ular or  plural.  The  Chinese  write  in  vertical  columns  using 
brushes  dipped  in  ink.  Writing  is  an  art  with  them  and  fine 
specimens  are  as  much  admired  as  paintings  are  with  us. 


THE   MANDARIN   LANGUAGE 

BY  PERE   DU   HALDE 

The  Chinese  have  two  sorts  of  languages;  the  first  vul- 
gar, which  is  spoken  by  the  common  people  and  varies 
according  to  the  different  provinces;  the  other  is  called 
the  Mandarin  language  and  is  like  the  Latin  in  Europe 
among  the  learned.  This  latter  appears  poor,  for  it  has 
not  above  three  hundred  and  thirty  words,  which  are 
all  monosyllables  and  indeclinable,  and  almost  all  end 
with  a  vowel  or  the  consonant  n  or  ng. 

Yet  this  small  number  of  words  is  sufl&cient  to  express 
oneself  upon  all  subjects,  because  without  multiply- 
ing words  the  sense  is  varied  almost  to  infinity  by  the 
variety  of  the  accents,  inflexions,  tones,  aspirations,  and 
other  changes  of  the  voice ;  and  this  variety  of  pronun- 
ciation is  the  reason  that  those  who  do  not  well  under- 
stand the  language  frequently  mistake  one  word  for 
another. 

This  will  be  explained  by  an  example.  The  word 
Tchu,  pronounced  slowly,  drawing  out  the  u  and  raising 
the  voice,  signifies  lord  or  master;  if  it  is  pronounced  with 
an  even  tone  lengthening  the  w,  it  signifies  a  hog;  when  it 
is  pronounced  quickly  and  lightly,  it  means  a  kitchen;  if 
it  be  pronounced  in  a  strong  and  masculine  tone,  grow- 
ing weaker  towards  the  end,  it  signifies  a  column. 

Further,  the  same  word  joined  to  various  others  signi- 
fies many  different  things.  Mon,  for  instance,  when  it 
is  alone,  signifies  a  tree,  a  wood;  but  when  it  is  com- 

207 


CHINA 

pounded,  it  has  many  other  significations.  Mou  leao 
signifies  wood  prepared  for  building ;  mou  Ian  is  bars  or 
wooden  grates;  mou  hia,  a  box;  mou  siang,  a  chest  of 
drawers;  mou  tsiang,  a  carpenter;  mou  eul,  a  mushroom; 
mou  nu,  a  sort  of  small  orange;  mou  sing,  the  planet  Jupi- 
ter; mou  mien,  cotton,  etc. 

Thus  the  Chinese  by  differently  compounding  their 
monosyllables  can  make  regular  discourses  and  express 
themselves  very  clearly  and  with  much  gracefulness 
almost  in  the  same  manner  as  we  form  all  our  words  by 
the  different  combinations  of  the  twenty-four  letters  of 
our  alphabet. 

The  art  of  joining  these  monosyllables  together  is  very 
difficult,  especially  in  writing,  and  requires  a  great  deal 
of  study.  As  the  Chinese  have  only  figures  to  express  their 
thoughts  and  have  no  accents  in  writing  to  vary  the  pro- 
nunciation, they  are  obliged  to  have  as  many  different 
figures  or  characters  as  there  are  different  tones  which 
give  so  many  various  meanings  to  the  same  word.  The 
characters  of  Cochin  China,  of  Tongking,  of  Japan,  are 
the  same  as  the  Chinese,  and  signify  the  same  things, 
though  these  nations  in  speaking  do  not  express  them- 
selves alike;  so  that  notwithstanding  the  languages  are 
very  different  and  they  cannot  understand  each  other's 
speech,  yet  they  understand  each  other's  writing  and  all 
their  books  are  common.  Their  characters  are  in  this 
respect  like  the  figures  of  arithmetic.  They  are  used  by 
several  nations  with  different  names,  but  their  meaning 
is  everywhere  the  same. 

For  this  reason  the  learned  must  not  only  be  acquainted 
with  the  characters  that  are  used  in  the  common  affairs 
of  life,  but  they  must  also  know  their  various  combina- 

208 


THE   MANDARIN  LANGUAGE 

tions  and  the  various  dispositions  which  of  several 
simple  strokes  make  the  compound  characters;  and  as 
the  number  of  characters  amounts  to  eighty  thousand,  he 
who  knows  the  greatest  number  is  also  the  most  learned, 
and  can  read  and  understand  the  greatest  number  of 
books,  by  which  one  may  judge  how  many  years  must 
be  employed  to  learn  such  a  vast  multitude  of  characters, 
to  distinguish  them  when  they  are  compounded,  and 
to  remember  their  shape  and  meaning. 


HOW  CHINESE  CHILDREN  LEARN  TO  READ 

BY  PERE   DU   HALDE 

From  the  age  of  five  or  six,  according  to  the  children's 
capacities  and  the  care  that  parents  take  of  their  educa- 
tion, the  young  Chinese  begin  to  study  letters ;  but  as  the 
number  of  the  letters  is  so  great  and  without  any  order 
as  in  Europe,  this  study  would  be  very  unpleasant  if 
they  had  not  found  a  way  to  make  it  a  sort  of  play  and 
amusement. 

For  this  purpose  about  a  hundred  characters  are  chosen 
which  express  the  most  common  things  and  which  are 
most  familiar  to  the  senses;  as,  the  sky,  sun,  moon,  and 
man,  some  plants,  animals,  a  house,  and  the  most  com- 
mon utensils.  All  these  things  are  engraved  in  a  rude 
manner,  and  the  Chinese  characters  set  underneath. 
Though  these  figures  are  very  awkwardly  represented, 
yet  they  quicken  the  apprehension  of  the  children,  fix 
their  fancies,  and  help  their  memories. 

There  is  this  inconvenience  in  the  method,  that  the  chil- 
dren imbibe  an  infinite  number  of  chimerical  notions  in 
their  most  tender  years ;  for  the  sun  is  represented  by  a 
cock  in  a  hoop,  the  moon  by  a  rabbit  pounding  rice  in  a 
mortar,  A  sort  of  demon  who  holds  lightning  in  his  hand, 
nearly  like  the  ancient  representations  of  Jupiter,  stands 
for  thunder;  so  that  in  a  manner  the  poor  children  suck 
in  with  their  milk  these  strange  whimsies;  though  I  am 
informed  that  this  method  is  but  little  in  use  at  present. 

The  next  book  they  learn  is  called  the  "San  tsee 

2IO 


HOW  CHINESE  CHILDREN  LEARN  TO  READ 

king,"  containing  duties  of  children,  and  the  method  of 
teaching  them.  It  consists  of  several  short  sentences  of 
three  characters  in  rhyme  to  help  the  memory  of  the 
children.  There  is  likewise  another,  the  sentences  of 
which  are  of  four  characters;  as  likewise  a  catechism 
made  for  the  Christian  children,  the  phrases  of  which 
are  but  of  four  letters,  and  which  for  this  reason  is  called 
"Ssee  tsee  king  ver." 

After  this,  the  children  must  learn  by  degrees  all  the 
characters,  as  the  European  children  learn  our  alphabet, 
with  this  difference  that  we  have  but  four-and-twenty 
letters,  and  they  many  thousand.  At  first  they  obHge  a 
young  Chinese  to  learn  four,  five,  or  six  in  a  day,  which 
he  must  repeat  to  his  master  twice  a  day,  and  if  he  often 
makes  mistakes  in  his  lessons,  he  is  chastised.  The  pun- 
ishment is  in  this  manner :  They  make  him  get  upon  a 
narrow  bench,  on  which  he  lies  down  flat  on  his  face, 
when  they  give  him  eight  or  ten  blows  with  a  stick  some- 
thing like  a  lath.  Diaring  the  time  of  their  studies  they 
keep  them  so  close  to  their  learning  that  they  have  very 
seldom  any  vacation,  except  a  month  at  the  beginning 
of  the  year  and  five  or  six  days  about  the  middle  of  it. 

As  soon  as  they  can  read  the  "Ssee  chu,"  the  four 
books  which  contain  the  doctrine  of  Confucius  and  Men- 
cius,  they  are  not  suffered  to  read  any  other  till  they 
have  got  these  by  heart  without  missing  a  letter;  and 
what  is  more  difficult  and  less  pleasing  is  that  they  must 
learn  these  books  understanding  almost  nothing  of  them, 
it  being  the  custom  not  to  explain  to  them  the  sense 
of  the  characters  till  they  know  them  perfectly. 

At  the  same  time  that  they  learn  these  letters,  they 
teach  them  to  use  the  pencil.  At  first  they  give  them 

211 


CHINA 

great  sheets,  written  or  printed  in  large  red  characters. 
The  children  do  nothing  but  cover  with  their  pencils  the 
red  strokes  with  black  to  teach  them  to  make  the 
strokes. 

When  they  have  learned  to  make  them  in  this  manner, 
they  give  them  others  which  are  black  and  smaller;  and 
laying  upon  these  sheets  other  white  sheets  which  are 
transparent,  they  draw  the  letters  upon  this  paper  in  the 
shape  of  those  which  are  underneath;  but  they  oftener 
use  a  board  varnished  white  and  divided  into  little 
squares,  which  make  different  lines,  on  which  they  write 
their  characters,  and  which  they  rub  out  with  water 
when  they  have  done,  to  save  paper. 

Finally,  they  take  great  care  to  improve  their  hand- 
writing, for  it  is  a  great  advantage  to  the  learned  to 
write  well.  It  is  accounted  a  great  qualification,  and  in 
the  examination  which  is  made  every  three  years  for 
the  degrees,  they  commonly  reject  those  that  write  ill, 
especially  if  their  writing  is  not  exact,  unless  they  give 
great  proofs  of  their  ability  in  other  respects,  either  in 
the  language  or  in  composing  good  discourses. 

When  they  know  characters  enough  for  composing, 
they  must  learn  the  rules  of  the  "Ven  tchang,"  which  is 
a  composition  not  much  unlike  the  theses  which  the 
European  scholars  make  before  they  enter  upon  rhetoric ; 
but  "Ven  tchang"  must  be  more  difficult,  because  the 
sense  is  more  confined  and  the  style  of  it  is  peculiar. 
They  give  for  a  subject  but  one  sentence,  taken  out  of 
the  classic  authors. 

In  order  to  ascertain  if  the  children  improve,  the  fol- 
lowing method  is  practiced  in  many  places:  Twenty  or 
thirty  families  who  are  all  of  the  same  name  and  in  con- 

212 


HOW  CHINESE  CHILDREN  LEARN  TO  READ 

sequence  have  one  common  hall  of  their  ancestors, 
agree  to  send  their  children  together  twice  a  month  into 
this  hall  to  compose.  Every  head  of  a  family  by  turns 
gives  the  thesis  and  provides  at  his  own  expense  the 
dinner  for  that  day,  and  takes  care  that  it  be  brought 
into  the  hall.  Likewise  it  is  he  who  judges  of  the  com- 
positions and  who  determines  who  has  composed  the 
best,  and  if  any  of  this  little  society  is  absent  on  the 
day  of  composing,  without  a  sufficient  cause,  his  parents 
are  obliged  to  pay  about  twenty  shilhngs,  which  is  a  sure 
means  to  prevent  his  being  absent. 

Besides  this  diligence  which  is  of  a  private  nature  and 
their  own  choice,  all  the  scholars  are  obliged  to  compose 
together  before  the  inferior  mandarin  of  letters,  which  is 
done  at  least  twice  a  year,  once  in  the  spring  and  once 
in  the  winter,  throughout  the  whole  empire.  I  say  "at 
least,"  for  besides  these  two  general  examinations,  the 
mandarin  of  letters  examines  them  pretty  frequently  to 
see  what  progress  they  have  made  in  their  studies  and 
to  keep  them  in  exercise. 


WHEN  I   WENT  TO   SCHOOL  IN   CHINA 

BY  YAN  PHOU  LEE 

Schools  in  China  are  generally  kept  by  private  gentle- 
men. The  Government  provides  for  advanced  scholars 
only.  But  since  the  one  qualification  for  office  is  educa- 
tion, and  the  avenue  to  literary  distinction  and  public 
honors  lies  through  competitive  examinations,  the  en- 
couragement that  the  Government  extends  to  education 
and  learning  can  be  estimated  only  by  that  eager  pur- 
suit of  knowledge  which  is  common  to  all  classes,  and 
by  the  veneration  in  which  scholars  and  scholarships  are 
held. 

Therefore  it  is  not  strange  that  schools  are  to  be  found 
everywhere,  in  small  hamlets  as  in  large  towns,  although 
the  Government  appropriates  no  funds  for  the  estabHsh- 
ment  of  common  schools ;  and  although  no  such  thing  is 
known  as  "compulsory  education,"  there  is  a  general 
desire,  even  among  the  poorer  classes,  to  give  their 
children  "a  little  schooHng."  Schools  of  the  lower  grades 
never  boast  more  than  one  teacher  each.  The  combina- 
tion system  of  a  head  master  and  several  assistants  does 
not  work  well  in  China.  The  schoolmaster  in  China  must 
be  absolute.  He  is  monarch  of  all  he  surveys ;  in  his  sphere 
there  is  none  to  dispute  his  rights.  You  can  always  point 
him  out  among  a  thousand  by  the  scholar's  long  gown,  by 
his  stern  look,  by  his  bent  form,  by  his  shoulders  rounded 
by  assiduous  study.  He  is  usually  near-sighted,  so  that 
an  immense  pair  of  spectacles  also  marks  him  as  a 
trainer  of  the  mind.  He  generally  is  a  gentleman  who 

214 


WHEN  I  WENT  TO   SCHOOL  IN   CHINA 

depends  on  his  teaching  to  make  both  ends  meet;  —  his 
school  is  his  own  private  enterprise,  —  for  no  such  thing 
exists  in  China  as  a  "school-board,"  —  and  if  he  be  an 
elegant  penman,  he  increases  the  weight  of  his  purse  by 
writing  scrolls;  if  he  be  an  artist,  he  paints  pictures  on 
fans.  If  he  has  not  taken  a  degree,  he  is  a  perennial  can- 
didate for  academic  honors,  which  the  Government  only 
has  a  right  to  confer. 

A  tuition  fee  in  China  varies  according  to  the  ability 
and  reputation  of  the  teacher,  from  two  dollars  to  twenty 
dollars  a  year.  It  varies  also  according  to  the  age  and 
advancement  of  the  pupil.  The  older  he  be,  the  more  he 
has  to  pay.  The  larger  sum  I  have  named  is  paid  to 
private  tutors.  A  private  tutor  is  also  usually  invited 
to  take  his  abode  in  the  house  of  the  wealthy  pupil;  and 
he  is  also  permitted  to  admit  a  few  outsiders.  During 
festivals  and  on  great  occasions,  the  teacher  receives 
presents  of  money  as  well  as  of  eatables  from  his  pupils. 
And  always  he  is  treated  with  great  honor  by  all,  and 
especially  by  the  parents  of  the  pupils.  For  the  future 
career  of  their  children  may,  in  one  sense,  be  said  to  be 
in  his  hands. 

One  who  teaches  thirty  or  forty  boys  at  an  average 
tuition  fee  of  four  dollars  is  doing  tolerably  well  in  China; 
for  with  the  same  amount  he  can  buy  five  or  six  times  as 
much  of  provisions  or  clothing  as  can  be  bought  in 
America. 

Schools  usually  open  about  three  weeks  after  the  New 
Year's  Day,  and  continue  till  the  middle  of  the  twelfth 
month  with  but  a  few  holidays  sprinkled  in.  However, 
if  the  teacher  be  a  candidate  for  a  literary  degree,  usu- 
ally a  vacation  of  about  six  weeks  is  enjoyed  by  the  pupils 

215 


CHINA 

in  summer.  During  the  New  Year  festival,  a  month  is 
given  over  to  fun  and  relaxation.  Unlike  the  boys  and 
girls  of  America,  Chinese  pupils  have  no  Saturdays  as 
holidays,  no  Sundays  as  rest  days.  School  is  in  session 
daily  from  6  to  lo  a.m.,  at  which  time  all  go  home  to 
breakfast.  At  ii  a.m.,  all  assemble  again.  At  i  p.m., 
a  recess  of  about  an  hour  is  granted  to  the  pupils  to  get 
lunch.  From  2  p.m.  to  4  is  held  the  afternoon  session. 
This  of  course  is  only  approximate,  as  no  teacher  is  boimd 
to  a  fixed  regularity.  He  is  at  Uberty  to  regulate  his  hours 
as  he  chooses.   At  4  p.m.,  the  school  closes  for  the  day. 

Schools  are  held  either  in  a  private  house  or  in  the  hall 
of  a  temple.  The  ancestral  temples  which  contain  the 
tablets  of  deceased  ancestors  are  usually  selected  for 
schools,  because  they  are  of  no  other  use  and  because 
they  are  more  or  less  secluded  and  are  generally  spacious. 
In  a  large  hall,  open  on  one  side  towards  a  court,  and 
having  high  ceihngs  supported  by  lofty  pillars  besides 
the  brick  walls,  you  may  see  in  the  upper  right-hand 
corner  a  square  wooden  table,  behind  which  is  the  wooden 
chair;  this  is  the  throne  of  his  majesty  —  the  school- 
master. On  this  table  are  placed  the  writing  materials, 
consisting  of  brushes,  India  ink,  and  ink-wells  made  of 
slate.  After  pouring  a  Uttle  water  in  one  of  these  wells, 
the  cake  of  ink  is  rubbed  in  it  until  it  reaches  a  certain 
thickness,  when  the  ink  is  ready  to  be  used.  The  brushes 
are  held  as  a  painter's  brushes  are. 

In  conspicuous  view  are  the  articles  for  inflicting 
punishment;  a  wooden  ruler  to  be  applied  to  the  head  of 
the  offender  and  sometimes  to  the  hands,  also  a  rattan 
stick  for  the  body.  Flogging  with  this  stick  is  the  heavi- 
est punishment  allowed ;  for  slight  offenses  the  ruler  is 

216 


WHEN  I  WENT  TO   SCHOOL   IN   CHINA 

used  upon  the  palms,  and  for  reciting  poorly,  upon  the 
head. 

The  room  at  large  is  occupied  by  the  tables  and  stools 
of  the  pupils,  chairs  being  reserved  for  superiors.  The 
pupils  sit  either  facing  the  teacher  or  at  right  angles 
to  him.  Their  tables  are  oblong  in  form  and  if  much 
used  will  show  the  carving  habits  and  talents  of  their 
occupants.  Usually  the  pupils  are  aU  of  one  sex^,  for 
girls  seldom  attend  other  schools  than  those  kept  in  the 
family,  and  then  only  up  to  eleven  or  twelve  years  of  age. 
They  are  taught  the  same  lessons  as  their  brothers. 

The  boys  range  all  the  way  from  six  or  seven  up  to  six- 
teen or  seventeen  years  of  age,  in  an  ordinary  school; 
for  there  is  no  such  thing  as  organizing  them  into  classes 
and  divisions;  each  one  is  studying  for  himself.  Still 
there  are  schools  in  which  all  the  pupils  are  advanced; 
and  there  are  others  which  have  none  but  beginners. 
But  they  are  rare. 

I  began  to  go  to  school  at  six.  I  studied  first  the  three 
primers:  the  "Trimetrical  Classic,"  the  "Thousand- 
words  Classic,"  and  the  "Incentive  to  Study."  They 
were  in  rhyme  and  meter,  and  you  might  think  they 
were  easy  on  that  account.  But  no!  they  were  hard. 
There  being  no  alphabet  in  the  Chinese  language,  each 
word  had  to  be  learned  by  itself.  At  first  all  that  was  re- 
quired of  me  was  to  learn  the  name  of  the  character  and 
to  recognize  it  again.  Writing  was  learned  by  copying 
from  a  form  written  by  the  teacher;  the  form  being  laid 
under  the  thin  paper  on  which  the  copying  was  to  be 
done.  The  thing  I  had  to  do  was  to  make  all  the  strokes 
exactly  as  the  teacher  had  made  them.  It  was  a  very 
tedious  operation. 

217 


CHINA 

I  finished  the  three  primers  in  about  a  year,  not 
knowing  what  I  really  was  studying.  The  spoken  lan- 
guage of  China  has  outgrown  the  written;  that  is,  we 
no  longer  speak  as  we  write.  The  difference  is  like  that 
between  the  Enghsh  of  to-day  and  that  of  Chaucer's 
time. 

I  then  took  up  the  "Great  Learning,"  written  by  a 
disciple  of  Confucius,  and  then  the  "Doctrine  of  the 
Mean,"  by  the  grandson  of  Confucius.  These  text- 
books are  rather  hard  to  understand  sometimes,  even 
in  the  hands  of  older  folks;  for  they  are  treatises  on 
learning  and  philosophy.  I  then  passed  on  to  the  "  Life 
and  Sayings  of  Confucius,"  known  as  the  "Confucian 
Analects"  to  the  American  scholars.  These  books 
were  to  be  followed  by  the  "Life  and  Sayings  of  Men- 
cius,"  and  the  "Five  Kings"  —  five  classics,  consisting 
of  books  of  history,  divination,  universal  etiquette, 
odes  and  the  "Spring  and  Autumn,"  "a  brief  and 
abstract  chronicle  of  the  times"  by  Confucius. 

I  had  to  learn  all  my  lessons  by  rote;  commit  them  to 
memory  for  recitation  the  day  following.  We  read  from 
the  top  right-hand  corner  downwards,  and  then  begin 
at  the  top  with  the  next  line,  and  so  on.  Moreover,  we 
begin  to  read  from  what  seems  to  you  the  end  of  the  book. 
All  studying  must  be  done  aloud.  The  louder  you  speak 
or  shriek,  the  more  credit  you  get  as  a  student.  It  is  the 
only  way  by  which  Chinese  teachers  make  sure  that  their 
pupils  are  not  thinking  of  something  else  or  are  not  play- 
ing under  the  desks. 

Now  let  me  take  you  into  the  school  where  I  struggled 
with  the  Chinese  written  language  for  three  years.  Oh ! 
those  hard  characters  which  refused  to  yield  their  mean- 

218 


WHEN   I   WENT  TO   SCHOOL   IN   CHINA 

ing  to  me.  But  I  gradually  learned  to  make  and  to  re- 
cognize their  forms  as  well  as  their  names.  This  school 
was  in  the  ancestral  hall  of  my  clan  and  was  like  the 
one  I  have  described.  There  were  about  a  dozen  of  us 
youngsters  placed  for  the  time  being  under  the  absolute 
sway  of  an  old  gentleman  of  threescore-and-six.  He  had 
all  the  outward  marks  of  a  scholar ;  and  in  addition,  he 
was  cross-eyed,  which  fact  threw  an  element  of  uncer- 
tainty into  our  schemes  of  fun.  For  we  used  to  like  to 
"get  ahead"  of  the  old  gentleman,  and  there  were  a  few 
of  us  always  ready  for  any  lark. 

It  is  6  A.M.  All  the  boys  are  shouting  at  the  top  of  their 
voices,  at  the  fullest  stretch  of  their  lungs.  Occasionally, 
one  stops  and  talks  to  some  one  sitting  near  him.  Two 
of  the  most  careless  ones  are  guessing  pennies ;  and  anon 
a  dispute  arises  as  to  which  of  the  two  disputants  writes 
a  better  hand.  Here  is  one  who  thinks  he  knows  his  les- 
son and,  having  given  his  book  to  another,  repeats  it  for 
a  trial.  All  at  once  the  talking,  the  playing,  the  shout- 
ing ceases.  A  bent  form  slowly  comes  up  through  the 
open  court.  The  pupils  rise  to  their  feet.  A  simultaneous 
salutation  issues  from  a  dozen  pairs  "of  lips.  All  cry  out, 
"Lao  Se"  (venerable  teacher)!  As  he  sits  down,  all  fol- 
low his  example.  There  is  no  roll-call.  Then  one  takes 
his  book  up  to  the  teacher's  desk,  turns  his  back  to  him 
and  recites.  But  see,  he  soon  hesitates;  the  teacher 
prompts  him,  with  which  he  goes  on  smoothly  to  the  last 
and  returns  to  his  seat  with  a  look  of  satisfaction.  A 
second  one  goes  up,  but,  poor  fellow,  he  forgets  three 
times;  the  teacher  is  out  of  patience  with  the  third 
stumble,  and  down  comes  the  ruler,  whack!  whack!  upon 
the  head.  With  one  hand  feeling  the  aching  spot  and  the 

219 


CHINA 

other  carrying  back  his  book,  the  discomfited  youngster 
returns  to  his  desk  to  re-con  his  lesson. 

This  continues  until  all  have  recited.  As  each  one  gets 
back  to  his  seat,  he  takes  his  writing  lesson.  He  must 
hold  his  brush  in  a  certain  position,  vertically,  and  the 
tighter  he  holds  it  the  more  strength  will  appear  in  his 
handwriting.  The  schoolmaster  makes  a  tour  of  inspec- 
tion and  sees  that  each  writes  correctly;  writing  is  as 
great  an  art  in  China  as  painting  and  drawing  are  in 
other  countries,  and  good  specimens  of  fine  writing  are 
valued  as  good  paintings  are  here. 

After  the  writing  lesson  it  is  time  to  dismiss  school  for 
breakfast.  On  reassembling,  the  lesson  for  the  day  is 
explained  to  each  one  separately.  The  teacher  reads  it 
over,  and  the  pupil  repeats  it  after  him  several  times 
until  he  gets  the  majority  of  the  words  learned.  He  then 
returns  to  his  desk  and  shouts  anew  to  get  the  lesson 
fixed  in  his  memory.  The  more  advanced  scholars  are 
then  favored  with  the  expounding  of  Confucius's  "Ana- 
lects "  or  some  literary  essay.  After  the  teacher  concludes , 
each  is  given  a  passage  of  the  text  to  explain.  In  this  way, 
the  meaning  of  words  and  sentences  is  learned  and  made 
familiar.  The  afternoon  session  is  passed  by  the  older 
pupils  in  writing  compositions  in  prose  or  in  verse,  and 
by  the  younger  in  learning  the  next  day's  task. 

This  is  the  regular  routine,  the  order  of  exercises,  in 
Chinese  schools. 

Grammar,  as  a  science,  is  not  taught,  nor  are  the 
mathematics.  Language  and  literature  occupy  the  child's 
attention,  as  I  have  shown,  for  the  first  five  or  six  years; 
afterwards  essay- writing  and  poetry  are  added.  For  ex- 
cellence in  these  two  branches,  public  prizes  are  awarded 

220 


WHEN  I   WENT  TO   SCHOOL   IN   CHINA 

by  the  resident  literary  sub-chancellor.  But  public  ex- 
hibitions and  declamations  are  unknown,  though  Chin- 
ese fathers  sometimes  visit  the  schools.  The  relations  of 
the  sexes  are  such  that  a  Chinese  mother  never  has  the 
presumption  to  appear  at  the  door  of  a  schoolroom  in 
order  to  acquaint  herself  with  the  progress  of  her  child's 
education. 

Parents  furnish  the  textbooks  as  a  rule.  They  are 
bound  into  volumes  and  printed  usually  with  immovable 
type. 

The  pupils  usually  behave  well.  If  not,  the  rattan  stick 
comes  promptly  into  use.  Chinese  teachers  have  a  pecul- 
iar method  of  meting  out  punishment.  I  remember  an 
episode  in  my  school-life  which  illustrates  this.  One  after- 
noon, when  the  old  schoolmaster  happened  to  be  away 
longer  than  his  wont  after  the  noon  recess,  some  of  the 
boys  began  to  "cut  up."  The  fun  reached  its  height  in 
the  explosion  of  some  fire-crackers.  As  they  went  off, 
making  the  hall  ring  with  the  noise,  the  teacher  came 
in,  indignant,  you  may  be  sure.  His  defective  eyes 
darted  about  and  dived  around  to  fix  upon  the  culprit; 
but  as  he  did  not  happen  to  be  in  the  line  of  their  vision, 
the  guilty  boy  stole  back  to  his  seat  undetected.  The 
old  gentleman  then  seized  the  rattan  and  in  a  loud  voice 
demanded  who  it  was  that  had  let  off  the  crackers.  And 
when  nobody  answered,  what  do  you  suppose  he  did?  He 
flogged  the  whole  crowd  of  us,  saying  that  he  was  sure 
to  get  hold  of  the  right  one  and  that  the  rest  deserved 
a  whipping  for  not  making  the  real  offender  known. 
Truly,  the  paths  of  Chinese  learning  in  my  day  were 
beset  with  thorns  and  briers! 


A   CHILD'S   FIRST  LESSONS 


Men  at  their  birth  are  by  nature  radically  good ; 
In  this  all  approximate,  but  in  practice  widely  diverge. 
If  not  educated,  the  natural  character  is  changed; 
A  course  of  education  is  made  valuable  by  close  attention. 
That  boys  should  not  learn  is  an  improper  thing; 
For  if  they  do  not  learn  in  youth,  what  will  they  do  when 
old? 

II 

Formerly  Confucius  had  the  young  Hiang  Toh  for  his 
teacher; 

And  Chau,  too,  though  high  in  oflfice,  studied  assiduously. 

One  copied  lessons  on  reeds,  another  on  slips  of  bamboo; 

To  conquer  sleep  one  suspended  his  head  by  the  hair 
from  a  beam. 

One  read  by  the  light  of  glow-worms,  another  by  reflec- 
tion from  the  snow; 

These,  though  their  families  were  poor,  did  not  omit  to 
study. 

Yung,  when  only  eight  years  old,  could  recite  the  Odes; 

And  Pi,  at  the  age  of  seven,  understood  the  game  of  chess. 

The  silkworm  spins  silk,  the  bee  gathers  honey; 

If  men  neglect  to  learn,  they  are  inferior  to  brutes. 

He  who  learns  in  youth,  and  acts  when  of  mature  age. 

Extends  his  influence  to  the  prince,  benefits  the  people. 

Makes  his  name  renowned,  renders  illustrious  his  parents, 

Reflects  glory  on  his  ancestors,  and  enriches  posterity. 

Diligence  has  merit;  play  yields  no  profit; 

Be  ever  on  your  guard!   Rouse  all  your  energies! 


CIVIL-SERVICE  EXAMINATIONS  IN  CHINA 

BY   W.   A.   P.   MARTIN 

Scholarship  is  a  very  different  thing  now  from  what 
it  was  in  those  ruder  ages,  when  books  were  few,  and 
the  harp,  the  bow,  and  the  saddle  divided  the  student's 
time  with  the  oral  instructions  of  some  famous  master. 
Each  century  has  added  to  the  weight  of  his  burden; 
and  to  the  "heir  of  all  the  ages"  each  passing  generation 
has  bequeathed  a  legacy  of  toil.  Doomed  to  live  among 
the  deposits  of  a  buried  world,  and  contending  with 
millions  of  competitors,  he  can  hardly  hope  for  success 
without  devoting  himself  to  a  life  of  unremitting  study. 
True,  he  is  not  called  upon  to  extend  his  researches  be- 
yond the  limits  of  his  own  national  literature ;  but  that 
is  all  but  infinite.  It  costs  him  at  the  outset  years  of 
labor  to  get  possession  of  the  key  that  unlocks  it;  for 
the  learned  language  is  totally  different  from  his  ver- 
nacular dialect,  and  justly  regarded  as  the  most  difficult  of 
the  languages  of  man.  Then  he  must  commit  to  memory 
the  whole  circle  of  the  recognized  classics,  and  make 
himself  familiar  with  the  best  writers  of  every  age  of  a 
country  which  is  no  less  prolific  in  books  than  in  men. 
No  doubt  his  course  of  study  is  too  purely  literary  and 
too  exclusively  Chinese,  but  it  is  not  superficial.  In  a 
popular  "Student's  Guide"  we  lately  met  with  a  course 
of  reading  drawn  up  for  thirty  years!  We  proposed 
putting  it  into  the  hands  of  a  young  American  residing  in 
China,  who  had  asked  advice  as  to  what  he  should  read. 
"Send  it,"  he  replied,  "but  don't  tell  my  mother." 

223 


CHINA 

But  it  is  time  to  take  a  closer  view  of  these  examina- 
tions as  they  are  actually  conducted.  The  candidates 
for  office — those  who  are  acknowledged  as  such  in  con- 
sequence of  sustaining  the  initial  trial  —  are  divided 
into  the  three  grades  of  siu-ts'ai,  chii-jin,  and  tsin-shi  — 
"budding  geniuses,"  "promoted  scholars,"  and  those 
who  are  "ready  for  office."  The  trials  for  the  first  are 
held  in  the  chief  city  of  each  district  or  hien,  a  territorial 
division  which  corresponds  to  our  county  or  to  an  Eng- 
lish shire.  They  are  conducted  by  a  chancellor,  whose 
jurisdiction  extends  over  an  entire  province,  containing, 
it  may  be,  sixty  or  seventy  such  districts,  each  of  which 
he  is  required  to  visit  once  a  year,  and  each  of  which  is 
provided  with  a  resident  sub-chancellor,  whose  duty  it  is 
to  examine  the  scholars  in  the  interval,  and  to  have  them 
in  readiness  on  the  chancellor's  arrival. 

About  two  thousand  competitors  enter  the  lists,  rang- 
ing in  age  from  the  precocious  youth  just  entering  his 
teens  up  to  the  venerable  grandsire  of  seventy  winters. 
Shut  up  for  a  night  and  a  day,  each  in  his  narrow  cell, 
they  produce  each  a  poem  and  one  or  two  essays  on 
themes  assigned  by  the  chancellor,  and  then  return  to 
their  homes  to  await  the  bulletin  announcing  their  place  in 
the  scale  of  merit.  The  chancellor,  assisted  by  his  clerks, 
occupies  several  days  in  sifting  the  heap  of  manuscripts, 
from  which  he  picks  out  some  twenty  or  more  that  are 
distinguished  by  beauty  of  penmanship  and  grace  of 
diction.  The  authors  of  these  are  honored  with."  the 
degree  of  "Budding  Genius,"  and  are  entitled  to  wear 
the  decorations  of  the  lowest  grade  in  the  corporation 
of  mandarins. 

The  successful  student  wins  no  purse  of  gold  and  ob- 
224 


CIVIL-SERVICE  EXAMINATIONS  IN  CHINA 

tains  no  office,  but  he  has  gained  a  prize  which  he  deems 
a  sufficient  compensation  for  years  of  patient  toil.  He  is 
the  best  of  a  hundred  scholars,  exempted  from  liability 
to  corporal  punishment,  and  raised  above  the  vulgar 
herd.  The  social  consideration  to  which  he  is  now  en- 
titled makes  it  a  grand  day  for  him  and  his  family. 

Once  in  three  years  these  "Budding  Geniuses,"  these 
picked  men  of  the  districts,  repair  to  the  provincial 
capital  to  engage  in  competition  for  the  second  degree 
—  that  of  chii-jin,  or  "Promoted  Scholar."  The  number 
of  competitors  amounts  to  ten  thousand,  more  or  less, 
and  of  these  only  one  in  every  himdred  can  be  admitted 
to  the  coveted  degree.  The  trial  is  conducted  by  special 
examiners  sent  down  from  Peking;  and  this  examination 
takes  a  wider  range  than  the  preceding.  No  fewer  than 
three  sessions  of  nearly  three  days  each  are  occupied, 
instead  of  the  single  day  for  the  first  degree.  Composi- 
tions in  prose  and  verse  are  required,  and  themes  are 
assigned  with  a  special  view  to  testing  the  extent  of 
reading  and  depth  of  scholarship  of  the  candidates. 
Penmanship  is  left  out  of  the  account  —  each  produc- 
tion, marked  with  a  cipher,  being  copied  by  an  official 
scribe,  that  the  examiners  may  have  no  clew  to  its 
author  and  no  temptation  to  render  a  biased  judgment. 

The  victor  still  receives  neither  office  nor  emolument; 
but  the  honor  he  achieves  is  scarcely  less  than  that 
which  is  won  by  the  victors  in  the  Olympic  games. 
Again,  he  is  one  of  a  hundred,  each  of  whom  was  a  picked 
man;  and  as  a  result  of  this  second  victory  he  goes  forth 
an  acknowledged  superior  among  ten  thousand  con- 
tending scholars.  He  adorns  his  cap  with  the  gilded 
button  of  a  higher  grade,  erects  a  pair  of  lofty  flag-staves 

225 


CHINA 

before  the  door  of  his  family  residence,  and  places  a 
tablet  over  his  door  to  inform  those  who  pass  by  that 
this  is  the  abode  of  a  literary  prize-man.  But  our  "Pro- 
moted Scholar"  is  not  yet  a  mandarin  in  the  proper 
sense  of  the  term.  The  distinction  already  attained 
only  stimulates  his  desire  for  higher  honors  —  honors, 
which  bring  at  last  the  solid  recompense  of  an  income. 
In  the  spring  of  the  following  year  he  proceeds  to 
Peking  to  seek  the  next  higher  degree,  attainment  of 
which  will  prove  a  passport  to  office.  The  contest  is  still 
with  his  peers;  that  is,  with  other  "Promoted  Scholars," 
who,  like  himself,  have  come  up  from  all  the  provinces 
of  the  empire.  But  the  chances  are  this  time  more  in  his 
favor,  as  the  number  of  prizes  is  now  tripled;  and  if  the 
gods  are  propitious,  his  fortune  is  made. 

i.:  Though  ordinarily  not  very  devout,  he  now  shows 
himself  peculiarly  solicitous  to  secure  the  favor  of  the 
divinities.  He  burns  incense  and  gives  alms.  If  he  sees 
a  fish  floundering  on  the  hook,  he  pays  its  price  and 
restores  it  to  its  native  element.  He  picks  strugghng 
ants  out  of  the  rivulet  made  by  a  recent  shower,  dis- 
tributes moral  tracts,  or,  better  still,  rescues  chance  bits 
of  printed  paper  from  being  trodden  in  the  mire  of  the 
streets.  If  his  name  appears  among  the  favored  few,  he 
not  only  wins  himself  a  place  in  the  front  ranks  of  the 
lettered,  but  he  plants  his  foot  securely  on  the  rounds  of 
the  official  ladder  by  which,  without  the  prestige  of 
birth  or  the  support  of  friends,  it  is  possible  to  rise  to  a 
seat  in  the  Grand  Council  of  State  or  a  place  in  the 
Imperial  Cabinet.  All  this  advancement  presents  itself 
in  the  distant  prospect,  while  the  office  upon  which  he 
immediately  enters  is  one  of  respectability,  and  it  may 

226 


CIVIL-SERVICE  EXAMINATIONS  IN  CHINA 

be  of  profit.  It  is  generally  that  of  mayor  or  sub-mayor 
of  a  district  city,  or  sub-chancellor  in  the  district  exam- 
inations —  the  vacant  posts  being  distributed  by  lot, 
and  therefore  impartially,  among  those  who  have  proved 
themselves  to  be  "ready  for  ofl&ce." 

Before  the  drawing  of  lots,  however,  for  the  post  of 
a  magistrate  among  the  people,  our  ambitious  student 
has  a  chance  of  winning  the  more  distinguished  honor 
of  a  place  in  the  Imperial  Academy.  With  this  view,  the 
two  or  three  hundred  survivors  of  so  many  contests 
appear  in  the  palace,  where  themes  are  assigned  them 
by  the  emperor  himself,  and  the  highest  honor  is  paid 
to  the  pursuit  of  letters  by  the  exercises  being  presided 
over  by  His  Majesty  in  person.  Penmanship  reappears 
as  an  element  in  determining  the  result,  and  a  score  or 
more  of  those  whose  style  is  the  most  finished,  whose 
scholarship  the  ripest,  and  whose  handwriting  the  most 
elegant,  are  drafted  into  the  college  of  Han-lin,  the 
"  forest  of  pencils,"  a  kind  of  Imperial  Institute  the  mem- 
bers of  which  are  recognized  as  standing  at  the  head 
of  the  literary  profession.  These  are  constituted  poets 
and  historians  to  the  Celestial  Court,  or  deputed  to  act 
as  chancellors  and  examiners  in  the  several  provinces. 

But  the  diminishing  series  in  this  ascending  scale  has 
not  yet  reached  its  final  term.  The  long  succession  of 
contests  culminates  in  the  designation  by  the  emperor 
of  some  individual  whom  he  regards  as  the  chuang-yuen, 
or  model  scholar  of  the  Empire  —  the  bright  consum- 
mate flower  of  the  season.  This  is  not  a  common  annual 
like  the  senior  wranglership  of  Cambridge,  not  the  prod- 
uct of  a  private  garden  like  the  valedictory  orator  of 
our  American  colleges.    It  blooms  but  once  in  three 

227 


CHINA 

years,  and  the  whole  empire  yields  but  a  single  blossom 
—  a  blossom  that  is  culled  by  the  hand  of  Majesty  and 
esteemed  among  the  brightest  ornaments  of  his  domin- 
ion. Talk  of  academic  honors  such  as  are  bestowed  by 
Western  nations  in  comparison  with  those  which  this 
Oriental  Empire  heaps  on  her  scholar  laureate!  Prov- 
inces contend  for  the  shining  prize,  and  the  town  that 
gives  this  victor  birth  becomes  noted  forever.  Swift 
heralds  bear  the  tidings  of  his  triumph,  and  the  hearts 
of  the  people  leap  at  their  approach.  We  have  seen 
them  enter  a  humble  cottage,  and  amidst  the  flaunting 
of  banners  and  the  blare  of  trumpets  announce  to  its 
startled  inmates  that  one  of  their  relations  has  been 
crowned  by  the  emperor  as  the  laureate  of  the  year. 
And  so  high  was  the  estimation  in  which  the  people 
held  the  success  of  their  fellow-townsman  that  his  wife 
was  requested  to  visit  the  six  gates  of  the  city,  and  to 
scatter  before  each  a  handful  of  rice,  that  the  whole 
population  might  share  in  the  good-fortune  of  her  house- 
hold. A  popular  tale,  "La  Bleue  et  la  Blanche,"  trans- 
lated from  the  Chinese  by  M.  Julien,  represents  a  god- 
dess as  descending  from  heaven,  that  she  might  give 
birth  to  the  scholar  laureate  of  the  empire. 

All  this  has,  we  confess,  an  air  of  Oriental  display  and 
exaggeration.  It  suggests  rather  the  dust  and  sweat  of 
the  great  national  games  of  antiquity  than  the  mental 
toil  and  intellectual  triumphs  of  the  modern  world. 
But  it  is  obvious  that  a  competition  which  excites  so 
profoundly  the  interest  of  a  whole  nation  must  be  pro- 
ductive of  very  decided  results.  That  it  leads  to  the 
selection  of  the  best  talent  for  the  service  of  the  public 
we  have  already  seen ;  but  beyond  this  —  its  primary 

22S 


CIVIL-SERVICE  EXAMINATIONS  IN  CHINA 

object  —  it  exercises  a  profound  influence  upon  the  edu- 
cation of  the  people  and  the  stability  of  the  Govern- 
ment. It  is  all,  in  fact,  that  China  has  to  show  in  the 
way  of  an  educational  system.  She  has  few  colleges 
and  no  universities  in  our  Western  sense,  and  no  national 
system  of  common  schools;  yet  it  may  be  confidently 
asserted  that  China  gives  to  learning  a  more  effective 
patronage  than  she  could  have  done  if  each  of  her  emper- 
ors had  been  an  Augustus  and  every  premier  a  Maecenas. 
She  says  to  all  her  sons,  "Prosecute  your  studies  by 
such  means  as  you  may  be  able  to  command,  whether 
in  public  or  in  private;  and,  when  you  are  prepared, 
present  yourselves  in  the  examination-hall.  The  Gov- 
ernment will  judge  of  your  proficiency  and  reward  your 
attainments." 

Nothing  can  exceed  the  ardor  which  this  standing 
offer  infuses  into  the  minds  of  all  who  have  the  remotest 
prospect  of  sharing  in  the  prizes.  They  study  not 
merely  while  they  have  teachers  to  incite  them  to  dili- 
gence, but  continue  their  studies  with  unabated  zeal 
long  after  they  have  left  the  schools;  they  study  in 
solitude  and  poverty ;  they  study  amidst  the  cares  of  a 
family  and  the  turmoil  of  business ;  and  the  shining 
goal  is  kept  steadily  in  view  until  the  eye  grows  dim. 
Some  of  the  aspirants  impose  on  themselves  the  task  of 
writing  a  fresh  essay  every  day;  and  they  do  not  hesi- 
tate to  enter  the  lists  as  often  as  the  public  examina- 
tions recur,  resolved,  if  they  fail,  to  continue  trying, 
believing  that  perseverance  has  power  to  command  suc- 
cess, and  encouraged  by  the  legend  of  the  man  who, 
needing  a  sewing-needle,  made  one  by  grinding  a  crow- 
bar on  a  piece  of  granite. 

229 


CHINA 

We  have  met  an  old  mandarin  who  related  with  evi- 
dent pride  how,  on  gaining  the  second  degree,  he  had 
removed  with  his  whole  family  to  Peking,  from  the 
distant  Province  of  Yunnan,  to  compete  for  the  third; 
and  how  at  each  triennial  contest  he  had  failed,  until, 
after  more  than  twenty  years  of  patient  waiting,  at  the 
seventh  trial,  and  at  the  mature  age  of  threescore,  he 
bore  off  the  coveted  prize.  He  had  worn  his  honors  for 
seven  years,  and  was  then  mayor  of  the  city  of  Tientsin. 
In  a  list  now  on  our  table  of  ninety-nine  successful  com- 
petitors for  the  second  degree,  sixteen  are  over  forty 
years  of  age,  one  sixty-two,  and  one  eighty-three.  The 
average  age  of  the  whole  number  is  above  thirty;  and 
for  the  third  degree  the  average  is  of  course  propor- 
tionally higher. 

So  powerful  are  the  motives  addressed  to  them  that 
the  whole  body  of  scholars  who  once  enter  the  examina- 
tion-hall are  devoted  to  study  as  a  life-long  occupation. 
We  thus  have  a  class  of  men,  numbering  in  the  aggregate 
some  millions,  who  keep  their  faculties  bright  by  con- 
stant exercise,  and  whom  it  would  be  difficult  to  parallel 
in  any  Western  country  for  readiness  with  the  pen  and 
retentiveness  of  memory.  If  these  men  are  not  highly 
educated,  it  is  the  fault,  not  of  the  competitive  system, 
which  proves  its  power  to  stimulate  them  to  such  pro- 
digious exertions,  but  of  the  false  standard  of  intellectual 
merit  established  in  China. 


QUESTIONS   FROM    A   CIVIL-SERVICE 
EXAMINATION 

1.  How  do  the  rival  schools  of  Wang  and  Ching  differ 
in  respect  to  the  exposition  of  the  meaning  and  the 
criticism  of  the  text  of  the  "Book  of  Changes"? 

2.  The  great  historian  Sze-ma-ts'ien  prides  himself 
upon  having  gathered  up  much  material  that  was  neg- 
lected by  other  writers.  What  are  the  sources  from 
which  he  derived  his  information? 

3.  From  the  earliest  times  great  attention  has  been 
given  to  the  improvement  of  agriculture.  Will  you  indi- 
cate the  arrangements  adopted  for  that  purpose  by  the 
several  dynasties. 

4.  The  art  of  war  arose  under  Hwangte,  forty-four 
hundred  years  ago.  Different  dynasties  have  since  that 
time  adopted  different  regulations  in  regard  to  the  use 
of  militia  or  standing  armies,  the  mode  of  raising  sup- 
plies for  the  army,  etc.   Can  you  state  these  briefly? 

5.  Give  an  account  of  the  circulating  medium  under 
different  dynasties,  and  state  how  the  currency  of  the 
Sung  Dynasty  corresponded  with  our  use  of  paper  money 
at  the  present  day. 


XI 

IN  RECENT  YEARS 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

The  war  with  Japan  in  1894  showed  for  the  first  time  the 
weakness  of  the  Chinese  Empire.  Foreign  nations  were  not 
slow  to  take  advantage  of  this  weakness,  and  within  the  next 
few  years  Russia,  England,  Germany,  and  France  obtained 
important  concessions  and  grants  of  territory.  Resentment 
at  these  proceedings  resulted  in  the  formation  in  1900  of  a 
society,  known  as  the  "Boxers"  or  "Fist  of  Righteous 
Harmony,"  for  the  destruction  of  all  foreigners.  Secretly 
aided  by  the  Dowager  Empress,  who  had  recently  deposed 
the  Emperor  for  favoring  the  reformers,  the  Boxers  grew 
rapidly  in  strength  and  besieged  the  legations  in  Peking. 
The  siege  was  raised  in  August  by  an  allied  army  of  Japanese, 
Russians,  British,  Americans,  and  French;  the  uprising  was 
suppressed,  and  a  huge  indemnity  exacted  from  the  Chinese 
Government. 

A  leaven  of  progress,  which  had  been  for  some  time  at 
work  beneath  the  crust  of  national  conservcttism,  broke 
forth  at  last  in  a  demand  for  a  constitution.  The  councilors 
of  the  boy  emperor  promised  and  evaded  after  the  tradi- 
tional Chinese  fashion,  and  the  sacred  precincts  of  the 
Imperial  Palace  became  a  maze  of  plots  and  intrigues.  The 
demand,  however,  had  grown  too  strong  to  be  resisted,  and 
on  February  12, 191 2,  the  Manchu  Dynasty  came  to  an  end. 
By  the  Abdication  Edicts  of  that  date,  it  was  declared  that 
the  constitution  should  thereafter  be  republican.  Two  days 
later.  Yuan  Shih-kai  was  elected,  by  the  Nanking  Council, 
Provisional  President  of  the  Republic  of  China.  In  April 
1 913,  the  first  Chinese  Congress  met.  Throughout  the  land 
the  day  was  celebrated  with  holiday  rejoicings. 


WAR  BETWEEN  CHINA  AND  JAPAN 

BY   W.  A.   P.   MARTIN 

"Once  upon  a  time,"  says  a  Japanese  ^sop,  "the  fish 
of  the  sea  were  thrown  into  consternation  by  the  appear- 
ance of  a  new  enemy  —  a  man  with  a  net  and  drag.  Call- 
ing a  council  to  provide  for  their  safety,  one  proposed 
this,  another  that.  The  clam  said  that  for  himself  he 
had  no  fe^r;  he  had  only  to  close  his  shell  to  keep  out 
all  enemies.  S plash  1  came  the  drag;  the  fish  scattered, 
and  he  lay  snug  until  all  was  quiet.  Then,  cautiously 
peeping  out,  he  saw  scrawled  on  an  opposite  wall:  'This 
clam,  two  cents,'  and  he  knew  that  he  was  sold.^^ 

At  the  epoch  of  the  Opium  War,  the  attitude  of  China 
and  Japan  toward  the  outside  world  was  identical. 
From  that  point,  or,  to  be  exact,  from  1854,  the  date  of 
our  first  treaty  with  Japan,  their  policies  diverged. 
Compelled  to  abandon  her  old  exclusiveness,  China 
has  yielded  as  little  as  possible.  Japan  renounced  hers 
without  waiting  for  the  application  of  force. 

Every  step  in  Japan's  progress  has  intensified  the  old 
animosity.  China  hates  her  as  a  traitor  to  Asiatic  tra- 
ditions, and  she  despises  China  as  a  laggard  in  the  race. 
The  first  aggressions  came  from  the  side  of  Japan,  as 
might  have  been  expected  from  her  awakened  energies. 

She  began  with  the  absorption  of  Liuchiu,  which 
China  regarded  as  her  vassal,  though  the  little  kingdom, 
for  its  own  purposes,  had  maintained  a  divided  allegiance. 
Her  next  move  was  a  descent  on  Formosa,  ostensibly  to 

235 


CHINA 

punish  the  savages  of  the  eastern  coast  for  murdering 
the  crew  of  a  Liuchiuan  junk ;  in  reality  with  the  inten- 
tion of  occupying  a  part,  if  not  the  whole,  of  that  island. 
Their  right  to  do  so  the  Japanese  defended  by  specious 
arguments  drawn  from  text-writers  on  international  law. 
These  batteries  the  Chinese  easily  silenced,  as  I  can 
testify,  having  had  something  to  do  with  the  loading  of 
their  guns.  The  contest  would  not  have  ended  without 
drawing  blood  if  the  British  Minister,  Sir  Thomas 
Wade,  had  not  come  forward  as  peacemaker,  and  per- 
suaded the  invaders  to  withdraw  on  the  payment  of  a 
small  indemnity,  which,  to  save  the  "face"  of  China, 
was  considered  as  compensation  for  war  material  left  on 
the  island. 

A  third  storm  center  was  Corea.  Confessedly  a  vassal 
of  China,  the  Hermit  Kingdom  had  been  unwisely  per- 
mitted to  send  embassies  and  enter  into  direct  treaty 
relations  with  foreign  courts,  making  the  Corean  capi- 
tal a  nest  of  intrigue. 

In  1878  the  destruction  of  the  Japanese  Consulate  at 
Seoul  came  very  near  embroiUng  the  two  empires.  In 
the  dispute  which  followed,  the  Japanese  won  a  diplo- 
matic victory;  China  weakly  consented  to  something 
like  a  dual  control,  which  naturally  had  the  effect  of 
making  the  peninsula  more  than  ever  a  bone  of  conten- 
tion. 

A  petty  rebellion  breaking  out  in  1894,  the  king  ap- 
pealed to  China,  not  to  Japan,  for  succor.  The  insur- 
gents, who  called  themselves  Tunkhak  ("champions  of 
Eastern  learning"),  in  opposition  to  Western  innova- 
tions, dispersed  on  the  appearance  of  Chinese  troops, 
and  the  troops  intrenched  themselves  on  the  seacoast. 

236 


WAR   BETWEEN   CHINA   AND   JAPAN 

The  Japanese  were  notified,  and  exercised  their  right  of 
sending  a  force;  but  instead  of  camping  on  the  coast, 
they  pushed  on  to  the  capital  for  the  better  protection 
of  king  and  court.  Both  parties,  perceiving  the  real  is- 
sue, pushed  forward  their  troops  as  fast  as  their  ships 
could  carry  them.  Their  ostensible  object  was  to  anni- 
hilate the  Tunghaks,  their  real  aim  to  settle  at  once  and 
forever  the  question  of  Chinese  supremacy.  They  kept 
up  the  forms  of  friendship  until  the  25  th  of  July,  when 
two  collisions  in  one  day  compelled  them  to  throw  off 
the  mask.  Then  came  the  shock  of  war,  as  unforeseen 
as  an  earthquake,  and  infinitely  more  destructive. 

In  the  earHer  battles  the  Chinese  fought  well,  but  they 
soon  came  to  expect  defeat  as  a  matter  of  course,  a  con- 
stant succession  of  victories  telling  as  much  for  the  organ- 
izing talent  of  Japan  at  headquarters  as  for  the  courage 
and  discipline  of  her  forces  in  the  field.  In  possession 
of  king  and  capital,  the  Japanese  enjoyed  a  great  ad- 
vantage. The  poor  king,  as  helpless  as  Montezuma, 
bound  himself  by  treaty  to  furnish  supplies  for  their 
troops  until  the  independence  of  Corea  should  be  se- 
cured, and  allowed  himself  to  be  persuaded  into  insult- 
ing his  liege  lord  by  assuming  the  title  of  emperor.  How 
great  their  advantage  will  not  be  apparent  unless  we 
suppose  the  situation  reversed.  With  a  Chinese  army 
in  Seoul  commanding  the  resources  of  the  kingdom, 
who  can  say  that  the  issue  of  the  conflict  might  not  have 
been  otherwise?  In  that  first  bold  stroke  the  palm  of 
strategy  belongs  to  Japan. 

An  incidental  advantage,  not  to  be  overlooked,  was 
the  glamour  of  chivalry  which  it  gave  her  as  the  defender 
of  the  oppressed,  enabling  her  to  inscribe  on  her  ban- 

237 


CHINA 

ners  a  noble  object.  Whatever  arriere  pensee  she  may 
have  indulged,  politically  this  was  shrewd,  but  knight- 
errantry  of  that  sort  is  out  of  date.  Japan's  action  in  tak- 
ing the  initiative  is  to  be  justified,  if  at  all,  on  the  ground 
that  the  disguised  hostility  of  the  Chinese  made  war  in- 
evitable sooner  or  later,  and  it  was  wise  for  her  to  strike 
when  she  was  ready.  Before  spring  the  Chinese  had  been 
driven  out  of  Corea,  and  the  Manchurian  seaboard 
occupied  by  the  Japanese.  The  two  great  naval  fort- 
resses had  fallen  into  their  hands,  and  the  Chinese  navy 
was  annihilated.  To  save  her  capital  China  sued  for 
peace,  and  Japan  stood  revealed  as  a  power  no  longer 
to  be  disregarded  by  the  cabinets  of  Europe. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  YAO  CHEN-YUAN 

ONE   OF   THE   FOUR   SUCCESSFUL    MESSENGERS   TO    AND 
FROM  TIENTSIN  DURING  THE   BOXER  WAR 

[The  Boxers  were  a  secret  society  whose  aim  was  to  drive  out 
the  foreigners.  In  1900  they  massacred  both  missionaries  and 
their  converts.  The  great  European  Powers  made  a  formal 
protest  to  the  Chinese  Government.  The  Government  was 
ready  to  promise  anything,  but  secretly  aided  the  Boxers. 
The  nations  then  sent  forces  to  protect  their  citizens  and 
property.  War  ensued.  The  most  horrible  tortures  of  the 
foreigners  and  the  most  ghastly  massacres  took  place,  en- 
couraged by  the  Empress  Wu. 

Ambassadors  and  ministers  and  other  foreigners  were 
shut  up,  together  with  Christian  natives,  in  the  British 
Legation  in  Peking.  It  was  of  the  utmost  importance  that 
messages  be  sent  to  Tientsin.  The  following  is  an  account 
of  the  adventures  of  one  of  the  messengers. 

The  Editor.] 

When  the  letters  of  the  various  ministers  had  been  com- 
mitted to  my  care,  I  returned  to  Su  Wang  Fu,  saying  to 
myself,  "How  shall  I  ever  be  able  to  take  these  letters 
to  Tientsin?" 

I  breathed  a  simple  prayer  to  God  to  give  me  some 
method  by  which  I  might  reach  my  destination  in  safety. 

The  words  had  scarcely  left  my  lips  when  I  noticed 
on  the  wall  a  large  straw  hat,  such  as  is  commonly  used 
by  coolies  in  the  summer-time,  and  as  it  was  composed  of 
two  layers  of  straw,  I  wet  it,  ripped  it  apart,  and  con- 
cealed my  letters  between  the  two  sections,  after  which 

239 


CHINA 

I  carefully  sewed  it  together  as  before,  with  the  prayer 
upon  my  lips,  ''Lord,  when  do  you  wish  me  to  start  ?" 

When  I  left  the  Legation,  I  crossed  the  bridge  and 
climbed  over  a  wall  of  barricades  into  Su  Wang  Fu, 
where  two  Japanese  soldiers  said  to  me,  — 

"What  are  you  doing  here?" 

"I  am  going  to  Tientsin  with  letters,"  I  replied. 

"What  is  your  name?"  inquired  one  of  them. 

When  I  told  him,  he  said  in  a  kind  but  warning  tone,  — 

"You  must  be  careful  or  you  will  be  killed  before  you 
are  well  started  on  your  way." 

He  took  me  to  a  small  lane  at  the  outskirts  of  the  bar- 
ricades, where  he  left  me  to  go  on  alone ;  but  I  had  not 
gone  far  when  I  discovered  that  a  Boxer  watchman  was 
stationed  at  the  other  end  of  the  street  and  my  heart 
almost  stood  still.  I  had  gone  too  far,  however,  to  turn 
back,  so  I  put  on  a  bold  front,  prayed  the  Lord  for  guid- 
ance, and  walked  boldly  onward. 

"Give  me  ten  cents,  and  I  will  let  you  pass,"  was  all 
he  said,  which  I  was  quite  ready  to  do. 

My  way  through  the  East  Gate  was  without  incident ; 
but  when  halfway  to  Tung  Chou  I  overtook  some  three 
hundred  of  Tung  Fuhsiang's  soldiers  to  whom  I  joined 
myself  and  continued  on  my  way.  The  canal  had  over- 
flowed its  banks  at  the  Eight  Li  Bridge,  and  at  their  sug- 
gestion we  had  our  dinner,  for  which  they  paid,  after 
which  one  of  them  offered  to  swim  across  with  me  on  his 
back,  which  kindness  I  was  glad  to  accept,  as  I  saw  no 
other  way  of  getting  to  the  opposite  side.  I  continued 
with  the  soldiers,  stopping  with  them  that  night  at  a 
Mohammedan  inn,  the  proprietor  of  which  was  very 
kind  to  me.  He  refused  to  accept  payment  for  my  enter- 

240 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF   YAO   CHEN-YUAN 

tainment  and  asked  me  to  take  vows  of  friendship  be- 
fore I  left. 

During  the  night,  a  crowd  passed  by,  led  by  a 
woman  Boxer,  —  a  member  of  the  Society  of  the  Red 
Lantern,  —  who  asked  me  my  name,  my  business,  and 
where  I  was  going.  As  I  seemed  to  satisfy  them  with  my 
answer,  they  went  about  their  business,  which  was  the 
destruction  of  a  Catholic  village,  and  the  murder  of  the 
Christians. 

The  next  morning  I  continued  on  my  way,  being  early 
joined  by  a  Boxer  who  invited  me  to  dine  with  him,  after 
which  we  separated. 

That  night  I  heard  the  keeper  of  the  inn  at  which  I 
stopped  say  to  a  Boxer,  "We  have  no  Christians  here," 
and  I  spent  the  night  in  peace.  The  following  day  a 
child  warned  me  not  to  go  through  a  certain  village, 
saying  that  the  Boxers  were  taking  every  one  they  sus- 
pected, and  I  saw  the  fire  kindled  at  which  they  burnt 
twenty  Christians,  while  I  at  the  same  time  thanked 
the  Lord  for  putting  it  into  the  mind  of  a  child  to  warn 
me,  and  thus  save  me,  and  perhaps  the  people  of  the 
Legation,  from  a  like  horrible  fate. 

The  country  was  flooded.  I  was  compelled  to  wade 
through  water  the  depth  of  which  I  knew  nothing  about, 
and  I  was  wet  and  discouraged.  I  had  just  emerged 
from  the  water  when  a  man  with  a  gun  on  his  shoulder 
called  out  to  me  in  a  loud  voice,  — 

''Where  are  you  going?" 

"I  am  going  to  Tientsin,"  I  answered. 

"What  for?" 

"To  find  the  head  of  a  flower  establishment  in  which 
I  was  employed  before  this  trouble  broke  out." 

241 


CHINA 

The  readiness  of  my  answer  seemed  to  satisfy  him, 
and  he  allowed  me  to  continue  on  my  way.  [It  ought 
to  be  said  in  Mr.  Yao's  defense  that  he  had  been 
connected  with  such  a  business,  the  head  of  which 
lived  in  Tientsin,  so  that  his  answer  was  not  wholly 
fiction.] 

At  the  next  village  a  shoemaker  informed  me  that  the 
road  was  dangerous,  being  crowded  with  Chinese  troops; 
a  thing  which  I  soon  found  to  be  true  by  being  made 
prisoner  and  having  my  money  taken  from  me.  My 
money  being  all  they  wanted,  the  soldiers  at  once  set 
me  free,  and  I  in  turn  complained  to  the  officer  that  I 
had  been  robbed  by  his  troops. 

"Wait,"  said  he,  "until  I  see  who  did  it." 

"No,  no,"  said  I,  "do  not  let  me  trouble  you  to  that 
extent;  the  day  is  far  spent,  and  I  should  like  to  spend 
the  night  in  your  camp." 

"With  pleasure,"  said  he.  So  I  spent  the  night  in  the 
protection  of  my  enemies. 

"Please  search  me,"  said  I  in  the  morning,  "to  see  that 
I  have  taken  nothing,  and  I  will  proceed  on  my  way." 

He  returned  my  money,  warning  me  not  to  go  on  the 
Great  Road  lest  I  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  foreign 
troops  and  sufifer  at  their  hands. 

"I  understand,"  said  I,  with  a  meaning  which  he  did 
not  comprehend,  and  I  left. 

When  I  came  to  the  river,  I  noticed  a  boatman  and 
accosted  him  as  follows:  — 

"Will  you  take  me  to  the  Red  Bridge  in  Tientsin?" 

"We  do  not  dare  to  go  as  far  as  the  Red  Bridge,"  he 
answered;  "the  Japanese  soldiers  are  there,  and  they  will 
shoot  us." 

242 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  YAO  CHEN- YUAN 

"You  need  not  be  afraid,"  said  I,  "I  can  protect  you 
from  Japanese  soldiers." 

On  hearing  this  he  readily  consented,  but  he  put  me 
off  some  distance  from  the  bridge.  I  saw  the  soldiers  in 
the  distance,  but  waved  my  handkerchief  as  a  token  that 
I  was  a  messenger,  and  thus  encountered  no  danger. 

They  escorted  me  to  the  Foreign  Settlement  and  then 
left  me  to  go  alone,  but  the  Russians  refused  to  allow 
me  to  pass  and  I  was  compelled  to  return  to  the  Red 
Bridge.  I  took  one  of  the  letters  out  of  the  hat  and 
showed  it  to  three  Japanese  officers  who  happened  to 
be  passing. 

"Where  do  you  come  from?"  they  asked. 

"From  Peking." 

"Were  you  not  afraid  of  the  Boxers?" 

"No." 

"You  are  a  good  man;  wait  till  I  give  you  a  pass." 

While  he  was  writing,  it  began  to  rain,  and  they  took 
me  to  their  headquarters,  where  I  saw  a  high  official, 
dined  with  him,  and  related  all  my  adventures  by  the  way 
as  well  as  the  condition  of  affairs  in  Peking;  all  of  which, 
he  wrote  down,  and  then  sent  four  of  his  soldiers  to  accom- 
pany me  to  the  British  and  American  Consulates.  When 
I  saw  the  American  Consul,  I  burst  into  tears  and  told 
him  of  all  that  the  people  in  Peking  were  suffering ;  how 
the  Boxers  were  firing  on  them  from  all  sides  and  trying 
to  burn  them  out;  how  each  man  was  limited  to  a  small 
cup  of  grain  a  day,  while  at  the  same  time  they  were 
compelled  to  labor  like  coolies,  under  a  burning  sun, 
in  employments  to  which  they  were  not  accustomed, 
and  I  urged  him  to  send  soldiers  at  once  to  relieve 
them. 

243 


CHINA 

He  sent  a  man  to  take  me  to  my  room,  and  I  found 
among  the  servants  one  of  my  old  acquaintances,  with 
whom  I  spent  a  pleasant  evening,  and  then  had  a  good 
night's  rest.  The  following  day  I  went  to  the  Methodist 
Mission,  where  I  met  those  who  had  passed  through  a 
siege  similar  to  the  one  I  had  left.  When  Dr.  Benn  saw 
how  sore  my  feet  were,  she  washed  and  bandaged  them 
with  her  own  hands. 

After  a  rest  of  two  days  I  secured  the  letters  of  the 
various  consuls,  together  with  others  from  friends  of 
some  of  the  besieged,  and  started  on  my  return  journey, 
depending  upon  the  Lord  for  his  protection.  I  had  not 
gone  a  mile  from  the  city  when  I  was  arrested  by  two 
foreign  soldiers,  robbed  of  all  my  money,  and  taken  to 
the  tent  of  their  officer,  who,  when  he  saw  my  pass, 
recognized  it  as  that  of  a  messenger  from  Peking  and 
restored  both  my  money  and  my  liberty.  Two  miles 
from  the  city  I  came  to  a  stream  I  was  unable  to  cross, 
and  found  myself  compelled  to  return  and  leave  by 
way  of  the  North  Gate  of  the  city. 

Seven  miles  from  the  city  I  fell  into  a  nest  of  Boxers, 
the  head  of  whom  asked  me,  — 

"Where  have  you  been?" 

"To  Tientsin,"  I  replied. 

"What  for?" 

"To  see  the  head  of  the  flower  establishment  with 
which  I  was  connected  before  this  trouble  broke  out," 
I  answered. 

"How  old  is  he?" 

"Seventy-six  years,"  I  replied,  without  hesitation. 

He  said  no  more,  and  I  asked  if  I  could  dine  with  them. 

After  dinner  I  said  to  the  head  Boxer,  — 

244 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  YAO  CHEN-YUAN 

"I  wish  to  go  to  Peking;  can  you  tell  me  the  safest 
route  for  me  to  take?" 

He  told  me,  and  after  wishing  him  good-bye  I  left, 
taking  the  direction  he  suggested.  The  following  day, 
when  passing  a  melon-patch  watched  by  Boxers,  I 
walked  up  to  them  and  asked  them  to  give  me  a  melon, 
thinking  that  they  would  be  less  likely  to  disturb  me  if 
I  first  addressed  them. 

"Where  are  you  going?"  they  asked. 

"To  Peking,"  I  answered;  "can  you  tell  me  which 
road  it  would  be  safest  for  me  to  take?  " 

They  told  me,  and,  as  in  the  former  case,  I  followed 
their  directions,  reaching  the  city  without  further  ad- 
venture other  than  that  of  avoiding  several  crowds  of 
Boxers  and  Chinese  soldiers. 

Outside  the  East  Gate  I  ate  two  bowls  of  vermicelli, 
while  I  watched  the  soldiers  and  Boxers  on  top  of  the 
city  wall.  I  went  west  to  the  Ssu  P'ai  Lou,  thence  south 
to  the  Tan  P'ai  Lou,  where  I  turned  west  toward  the 
British  Legation. 

All  the  way  through  the  city  I  was  compelled  to  saun- 
ter slowly,  as  though  I  was  merely  looking  about  and 
not  going  anywhere,  so  that  it  took  me  from  noon  till 
evening  to  go  from  the  East  Gate  to  the  Legation.  The 
soldiers  in  the  lines  between  the  Chinese  and  foreign 
quarters  were  gambling  as  I  passed  and  paid  no  attention 
to  me.  In  the  Austrian  Legation  grounds  I  noticed  a 
Chinese  soldier  digging  as  though  for  treasure.  Walking 
up  to  him  I  addressed  him  thus:  — 

"Hello!  Captain.  What  are  you  doing? " 

"What  are  you  doing  here?"  said  he,  staring  at  me 
and  speaking  in  a  loud  voice. 

245 


CHINA 

"Please  do  not  speak  so  loud,"  said  I  in  an  undertone, 
as  though  to  enter  into  a  secret  alliance  with  him;  "I 
was  originally  a  coolie  in  this  place.  My  home  is  in  the 
country,  and  I  have  just  been  to  see  if  my  family  were 
killed,  and  finding  them  safe,  I  have  returned  to  get 
some  treasure  I  have  in  the  Su  Wang  Fu." 

"How  much  have  you?"  he  inquired. 

"About  one  thousand  dollars." 

"What  is  your  name?"  he  inquired  further. 

"Yao  Chen-yuan.  What  is  your  honorable  name?" 

"  Wu  Lien-t'ai,"  he  replied;  "now  you  go  and  get  your 
silver  and  we  two  will  open  an  opium  shop." 

"Very  well,"  I  replied. 

"Have  you  any  silver  with  you?"  he  asked. 

"Only  about  four  or  five  ounces." 

"Well,  you  give  that  to  me.  Not  that  I  want  the  sil- 
ver, but  it  will  cement  our  friendship,  and  I  will  return 
it  to  you  when  you  come  back." 

"Very  well,'^  said  I,  giving  him  what  silver  I 
had. 

While  we  were  talking,  an  officer  with  forty  or  fifty 
soldiers  came  up  and  wanted  to  have  me  killed. 

"Do  not  kill  him,"  said  the  soldier  to  whom  I  had  been 
talking;  "he  is  an  old  friend  of  mine  from  the  country, 
here  to  make  money  out  of  the  foreigners." 

"If  he  is  a  friend  of  yours,  what  is  his  name?" 

"Yao  Chen-yuan,"  he  replied. 

"What  is  this  soldier's  name?  "  asked  the  officer,  turn- 
ing to  me. 

"Wu  Lien-t'ai,"  I  answered  without  hesitation. 

"Quite  right,"  he  said,  and  passed  on  to  the  Great 
Street. 

246 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  YAO  CHEN-YUAN 

Just  then  a  crowd  of  Boxers  came  up,  and  the  leader 
asked,  — 

"What  is  this  fellow  doing  here?" 

"Do  not  meddle  with  my  affairs,"  said  the  soldier, 
"  he  is  my  friend."  And  with  this  they  passed  on,  leaving 
us  alone. 

"Now  you  go  into  Su  Wang  Fu,"  said  the  soldier, 
"and  get  your  money;  and  if  you  cannot  come  out  to- 
morrow, stand  behind  the  wall  and  hold  your  hand  aloft 
that  I  may  know  you  are  safe." 

"Very  well,"  I  replied,  "but  how  am  I  to  get  in?" 

"I  will  take  you  to  the  end  of  that  alley,  where  you 
will  be  safe,"  he  said,  at  which  place  I  bade  him  good- 
afternoon.  In  a  few  moments  the  Japanese  soldiers,  who 
had  observed  and  recognized  me,  pulled  me  up  over  the 
wall,  and  I  was  once  more  safe. 

I  was  at  once  taken  to  the  officer  and  met  Mr.  Squiers, 
to  whom  I  delivered  the  letters.  When  he  saw  me  rip- 
ping open  the  hat  and  taking  them  out,  one  after  another 
until  I  had  given  him  eleven,  he  could  not  refrain  from 
laughing. 

He  took  me  with  him  to  the  American  Legation,  where 
as  we  entered  he  held  aloft  the  letters.  The  people  clapped 
their  hands  and  cheered,  and  many  of  them  wanted  to 
talk  with  me,  but  I  was  led  out  through  the  Russian  into 
the  British  Legation.  Here  I  met  Mr.  King,  who  after 
a  short  conversation  asked  me  for  my  hat. 

"It  is  all  ripped  apart,"  I  replied. 

"I  can  sew  it  together  again,"  he  answered. 

"What  do  you  want  to  do  with  it?"  I  inquired. 

"Take  it  back  to  America  as  a  relic  of  your  trip," 
said  he. 

247 


CHINA 


While  we  were  talking,  some  one  came  to  say  that 
Lady  MacDonald  wanted  to  see  me  and  hear  about  my 
trip,  to  whom  I  told  it  much  as  I  have  told  it  to  you, 
not  even  concealing  the  deceit  I  was  sometimes  compelled 
to  practice,  in  order,  as  I  then  supposed,  to  accompHsh 
my  ends. 


WHEN  THE  ALLIES  ENTERED   PEKIN 

BY   "PIERRE   LOTi"    (lOUIS  MARIE   JULIEN  VIAUD) 

Here  we  are  at  the  gates,  the  double  triple  gates,  deep 
as  tunnels,  and  formed  of  the  most  powerful  masonry, 

—  gates  surmounted  by  deadly  dungeons,  each  one  five 
stories  high,  with  strange  curved  roofs,  —  extravagant 
dungeons,  colossal  black  things  above  a  black  inclosing 
wall. 

Our  horses'  hoofs  sink  deeper  and  deeper,  disappear, 
in  fact,  in  the  coal-black  dust,  which  is  blinding  and  all- 
pervading,  in  the  atmosphere  as  well  as  on  the  ground, 
in  spite  of  the  light  rain  and  the  snowflakes  which  make 
our  faces  tingle. 

Noiselessly,  as  though  we  were  stepping  upon  wadding 
or  felt,  we  pass  under  the  enormous  vaults  and  enter  the 
land  of  ruin  and  ashes. 

A  few  slatternly  beggars  shivering  in  comers  in  their 
blue  rags,  and  that  is  all.  Silence  and  solitude  within  as 
well  as  without  these  walls.  Nothing  but  rubbish  and 
ruin,  ruin. 

The  land  of  rubbish  and  ashes,  and  little  gray  bricks, 

—  little  bricks  all  alike,  scattered  in  countless  myriads 
upon  the  sites  of  houses  that  have  been  destroyed,  or 
upon  the  pavement  of  what  once  were  streets. 

Little  gray  bricks,  —  this  is  the  sole  material  of  which 
Pekin  was  built;  a  city  of  small,  low  houses  decorated 
with  a  lacework  of  gilded  wood;  a  city  of  which  only  a 
mass  of  curious  debris  is  left,  after  fire  and  shell  have 
crumbled  away  its  flimsy  materials. 

249 


CHINA 

We  have  come  into  the  city  at  one  of  the  corners 
where  there  was  the  fiercest  fighting,  —  the  Tartar 
quarter,  which  contained  the  European  legations. 

Long  straight  streets  may  still  be  traced  in  this  in- 
finite labyrinth  of  ruins;  ahead  of  us  all  is  gray  or  black; 
to  the  somber  gray  of  the  fallen  brick  is  added  the 
monotonous  tone  which  follows  a  fire,  —  the  gloom  of 
ashes  and  the  gloom  of  coal. 

Sometimes  in  crossing  the  road  they  form  obstacles, 
—  these  tiresome  little  bricks ;  these  are  the  remains  of 
barricades  where  fighting  must  have  taken  place. 

After  a  few  hundred  meters  we  enter  the  street  of  the 
legations,  upon  which  for  so  many  months  the  anxious 
attention  of  the  whole  world  was  fixed. 

Everything  is  in  ruins,  of  course;  yet  European  flags 
float  on  every  piece  of  wall;  and  we  suddenly  find,  as  we 
come  out  of  the  smaller  streets,  the  same  animation  as  at 
Tien-tsin, — a  continual  coming  and  going  of  officers  and 
soldiers,  and  an  astonishing  array  of  uniforms. 

A  big  flag  marks  the  entrance  to  what  was  our  legation, 
two  monsters  in  white  marble  crouch  at  the  threshold; 
this  is  the  etiquette  for  all  Chinese  palaces.  Two  of  our 
soldiers  guard  the  door  which  I  enter,  my  thoughts  re- 
curring to  the  heroes  who  defended  it. 

We  finally  dismount,  amid  piles  of  rubbish,  in  an  inner 
square  near  a  chapel,  and  at  the  entrance  to  a  garden 
where  the  trees  are  losing  their  leaves  as  an  effect  of  the 
icy  winds.  The  walls  about  us  are  so  pierced  with  balls 
that  they  look  like  sieves.  The  pile  of  rubbish  at  our 
right  is  the  legation  proper,  destroyed  by  the  explosion 
of  a  Chinese  mine.  At  our  left  is  the  chancellor's  house, 

250 


WHEN   THE  ALLIES   ENTERED   PEKIN 

where  the  brave  defenders  of  the  place  took  refuge  during 
the  siege,  because  it  was  in  a  less  exposed  situation. 
They  have  offered  to  take  me  in  there;  it  was  not  de- 
stroyed, but  everything  is  topsy-turvy,  as  though  it  were 
the  day  after  a  battle;  and  in  the  room  where  I  am  to 
sleep  the  plasterers  are  at  work  repairing  the  walls, 
which  will  not  be  finished  until  this  evening. 

As  a  new  arrival  I  am  taken  on  a  pilgrimage  to  the 
garden  where  those  of  our  sailors  who  fell  on  the  field 
of  honor  were  hastily  buried  amid  a  shower  of  balls. 
There  is  no  grass  here,  no  blossoming  plants,  only  a 
gray  soil  trampled  by  the  combatants,  —  crumbling 
from  dryness  and  cold,  —  trees  without  leaves  and 
with  branches  broken  by  shot,  and  over  all  a  gloomy, 
lowering  sky,  with  snowflakes  that  are  cutting. 

We  remove  our  hats  as  we  enter  this  garden,  for  we 
know  not  upon  whose  remains  we  may  be  treading.  The 
graves  will  soon  be  marked,  I  doubt  not,  but  have  not 
yet  been,  so  one  is  not  sure  as  one  walks  of  not  having 
under  foot  some  one  of  the  dead  who  merits  a  crown. 

In  this  house  of  the  chancellor,  spared  as  by  a  miracle, 
the  besieged  lived  helter-skelter,  slept  on  a  floor  space 
the  size  of  which  was  day  by  day  decreased  by  the  dam- 
age done  by  shot  and  shell,  and  were  in  imminent  danger 
of  death. 

In  the  beginning  —  their  number,  alas,  rapidly  dimin- 
ished —  there  were  sixty  French  sailors  and  twenty 
Austrians  meeting  death,  side  by  side,  with  equally 
magnificent  courage.  To  them  were  added  a  few  French 
volunteers,  who  took  their  turns  on  the  barricades  or 
on  the  roofs,  and  two  foreigners,  M.  and  Mme.  Ros- 
thorne,  of  the  Austrian  Legation.   Our  officers  in  com- 

251 


CHINA 

mand  of  the  defense  were  Lieutenant  Darcy  and  Mid- 
shipman Herber;  the  latter  was  struck  full  in  the  face 
by  a  ball,  and  sleeps  to-day  in  the  garden. 

The  horrible  part  of  the  siege  was  that  no  pity  was  to 
be  expected  from  the  besiegers;  if,  starved,  and  at  the 
end  of  their  strength,  it  became  necessary  for  the  be- 
sieged to  surrender,  it  was  death,  and  death  with  atro- 
cious Chinese  refinements  to  prolong  the  paroxysms  of 
suffering. 

Neither  was  there  the  hope  of  escape  by  some  supreme 
sortie;  they  were  in  the  midst  of  a  swarming  city,  they 
were  inclosed  in  a  labyrinth  of  buildings  that  sheltered 
a  crowd  of  enemies,  and  were  still  further  imprisoned  by 
the  feeling  that,  surroimding  them,  walling  in  the  whole, 
was  the  colossal  black  rampart  of  Pekin. 

It  was  during  the  torrid  period  of  the  Chinese  summer; 
it  was  often  necessary  to  fight  while  dying  of  thirst, 
blinded  by  dust,  under  a  sun  as  destructive  as  the  balls, 
and  with  the  constant  sickening  fear  of  infection  from 
dead  bodies. 

Yet  a  charming  young  woman  was  there  with  them, 
—  an  Austrian,  to  whom  should  be  given  one  of  our 
most  beautiful  French  crosses.  Alone  amongst  men  in 
distress,  she  kept  an  even  cheerfulness  of  the  best  kind, 
she  cared  for  the  wounded,  prepared  food  for  the  sick 
sailors  with  her  own  hands,  and  then  went  off  to  aid  in 
carrying  bricks  and  sand  for  the  barricades  or  to  take 
her  turn  as  watch  on  the  roof. 

Day  by  day  the  circle  closed  in  upon  the  besieged  as 
their  ranks  grew  thinner  and  the  garden  filled  with  the 
dead;  gradually  they  lost  ground,  although  disputing 

252 


WHEN  THE   ALLIES   ENTERED   PEKIN 

with  the  enemy,  who  were  legion,  every  piece  of  wall, 
every  pile  of  bricks. 

And  when  one  sees  their  little  barricades  hastily 
erected  during  the  night  out  of  nothing  at  all,  and  knows 
that  five  or  six  sailors  succeeded  in  defending  them  (for 
five  or  six  toward  the  end  were  all  that  could  be  spared) , 
it  really  seems  as  though  there  were  something  super- 
natural about  it  all.  As  I  walked  through  the  garden 
with  one  of  its  defenders,  and  he  said  to  me,  *'At  the 
foot  of  that  little  wall  we  held  out  for  so  many  days," 
and  "In  front  of  this  little  barricade  we  resisted  for  a 
week,"  it  seemed  a  marvelous  tale  of  heroism. 

And  their  last  entrenchment!  It  was  alongside  the 
house, — a  ditch  dug  tentatively  in  a  single  night,  banked 
up  with  a  few  poor  sacks  of  earth  and  sand;  it  was  all 
they  had  to  keep  off  the  executioners,  who,  scarcely  six 
meters  away,  were  threatening  them  with  death  from 
the  top  of  a  wall. 

Beyond  is  the  ''cemetery,"  that  is,  the  corner  of  the 
garden  in  which  they  buried  their  dead,  until  the  still 
more  terrible  days  when  they  had  to  put  them  here  and 
there,  concealing  the  place  for  fear  the  graves  would  be 
violated,  in  accordance  with  the  terrible  custom  of  this 
place.  It  was  a  poor  little  cemetery  whose  soil  had  been 
pressed  and  trampled  upon  in  close  combat,  whose  trees 
were  shattered  and  broken  by  shell.  The  interments 
took  place  under  Chinese  fire,  and  an  old  whiteheaded 
priest  —  since  a  martyr,  whose  head  was  dragged  in 
the  gutter  —  said  prayers  at  the  grave,  in  spite  of  the 
balls  that  whistled  about  him,  cutting  and  breaking  the 
branches. 

Toward  the  end  their  cemetery  was  the  "contested 

253 


CHINA 

region,"  after  they  had  little  by  little  lost  much  ground, 
and  they  trembled  for  their  dead;  the  enemy  had  ad- 
vanced to  its  very  border;  they  watched  and  they  killed 
at  close  quarters  over  the  sleeping  warriors  so  hastily 
put  to  rest.  If  the  Chinese  had  reached  this  cemetery, 
and  had  scaled  the  last  frail  trenches  of  sand  and  gravel 
in  sacks  made  of  old  curtains,  then  for  all  who  were  left 
there  would  have  been  horrible  torture  to  the  sound  of 
music  and  laughter,  horrible  dismemberment,  —  nails 
torn  off,  feet  torn  off,  disemboweling,  and  finally  the 
head  carried  through  the  streets  at  the  end  of  a  pole. 

They  were  attacked  from  all  sides  and  in  every  pos- 
sible manner,  often  at  the  most  imexpected  hours  of  the 
night.  It  usually  began  with  cries  and  the  sudden  noise 
of  trumpets  and  tom-toms;  around  them  thousands  of 
howling  men  would  appear,  —  one  must  have  heard  the 
bowlings  of  the  Chinese  to  imagine  what  their  voices 
are;  their  very  timbre  chills  your  soul.  Gongs  outside 
the  walls  added  to  the  tumult. 

Occasionally,  from  a  suddenly  opened  hole  in  a  neigh- 
boring house,  a  pole  twenty  or  thirty  feet  long,  ablaze 
at  the  end  with  oakum  and  petroleum,  emerged  slowly 
and  silently,  like  a  thing  out  of  a  dream.  This  was  ap- 
plied to  the  roofs  in  the  hope  of  setting  them  on  fire. 

They  were  also  attacked  from  below ;  they  heard  dull 
sounds  in  the  earth,  and  imderstood  that  they  were  being 
undermined,  that  their  executioners  might  spring  up 
from  the  ground  at  any  moment;  so  that  it  became  nec- 
essary, at  any  risk,  to  attempt  to  establish  countermines 
to  prevent  this  subterranean  peril.  One  day,  toward 
noon,  two  terrible  detonations,  which  brought  on  a 
regular  tornado  of  plaster  and  dust,  shook  the  French 

254 


WHEN  THE   ALLIES   ENTERED   PEKIN 

Legation,  half  burying  under  rubbish  the  lieutenant  in 
command  of  the  defenses  and  several  of  his  marines. 
But  this  was  not  all;  all  but  two  succeeded  in  getting 
clear  of  the  stones  and  ashes  that  covered  them  to  the 
shoulders,  but  two  brave  sailors  never  appeared  again. 
And  so  the  struggle  continued,  desperately,  and  under 
conditions  more  and  more  frightful. 

And  still  the  gentle  stranger  remained,  when  she 
might  so  easily  have  taken  shelter  elsewhere,  — at  the 
English  Legation,  for  instance,  where  most  of  the  minis- 
ters with  their  families  had  found  refuge;  the  balls  did 
not  penetrate  to  them;  they  were  at  the  center  of  the 
quarter  defended  by  a  few  handfuls  of  brave  soldiers, 
and  could  there  feel  a  certain  security  so  long  as  the  bar- 
ricades held  out.  But  no,  she  remained  and  continued 
in  her  admirable  role  at  that  blazing  point,  the  French 
Legation,  —  a  point  which  was  the  key,  the  cornerstone 
of  the  European  quadrangle,  whose  capture  would  bring 
about  general  disaster. 

One  time  they  saw  with  their  field-glasses  the  posting 
of  an  imperial  edict  commanding  that  the  fire  against 
foreigners  cease.  (What  they  did  not  see  was  that  the 
men  who  put  up  the  notices  were  attacked  by  the  crowd 
with  knives.)  Yet  a  certain  lull,  a  sort  of  armistice,  did 
follow;  the  attacks  became  less  violent. 

They  saw  that  incendiaries  were  everywhere  abroad ; 
they  heard  fusillades,  cannonades,  and  prolonged  cries 
among  the  Chinese;  entire  districts  were  in  flames;  they 
were  killing  one  another;  their  fury  was  fermenting  as 
in  a  pandemonium,  and  they  were  suffocated,  stifled 
with  the  smell  of  corpses. 

Spies  came  occasionally  with  information  to  sell  — 

255 


CHINA 

always  false  and  contradictory  —  in  regard  to  the  re- 
lief expedition,  which  amid  ever-increasing  anxiety  was 
hourly  expected.  *'  It  is  here,  it  is  there,  it  is  advancing," 
or,  "It  has  been  defeated  and  is  retreating,"  were  the 
announcements,  yet  it  persisted  in  not  appearing. 

What,  then,  was  Europe  doing?  Had  they  been  aban- 
doned? They  continued,  almost  without  hope,  to  defend 
themselves  in  their  restricted  quarters.  Each  day ithey  felt 
that  Chinese  torture  and  death  were  closing  in  upon  them. 

They  began  to  lack  for  the  essentials  of  life.  It  was 
necessary  to  economize  in  everything,  particularly  in 
ammunition ;  they  were  growing  savage,  —  when  they 
captured  any  Boxers,  instead  of  shooting  them  they 
broke  their  skulls  with  a  revolver. 

One  day  their  ears,  sharpened  for  all  outside  noises, 
distinguished  a  continued  deep,  heavy  cannonade  be- 
yond the  great  black  ramparts  whose  battlements  were 
visible  in  the  distance,  and  which  inclosed  them  in  a 
Dantesque  circle ;  Pekin  was  being  bombarded !  It  could 
only  be  by  the  armies  of  Europe  come  to  their  assistance. 

Yet  one  last  fear  troubled  their  joy.  Would  not  a 
supreme  attack  against  them  be  attempted,  an  effort  be 
made  to  destroy  them  before  the  allied  troops  could  enter? 

As  a  matter  of  fact  they  were  furiously  attacked,  and 
this  last  day,  the  day  of  their  deliverance,  cost  the  life 
of  one  of  our  officers.  Captain  Labrousse,  who  went  to 
join  the  Austrian  commander  in  the  glorious  little  ceme- 
tery of  the  Legation.  But  they  kept  up  their  resistance, 
until  all  at  once  not  a  Chinese  head  was  visible  on  the 
barricades  of  the  enemy;  all  was  empty  and  silent  in  the 
devastation  about  them;  the  Boxers  were  flying  and 
the  Allies  were  entering  the  city ! 


A  DIPLOMATIC  CORRESPONDENCE 

BETWEEN   THE   UNITED   STATES  AND   CHINA 

[After  the  suppression  of  the  Boxer  uprising,  representa- 
tives of  the  nations  that  had  lost  by  the  failure  of  the 
Chinese  Government  to  protect  their  citizens  and  property 
demanded  reparation.  Nearly  $25,000,000  was  allotted  to 
this  country.  The  United  States,  however,  in  continuance  of 
its  former  friendship  for  China,  offered  to  accept  only  an 
amount  covering  the  actual  loss  incurred.] 

I 

MR.   ROCKHILL  TO   THE   PRINCE   OF  CH'iNG 

Your  Highness  :  — 

It  is  with  great  satisfaction  that  I  have  the  honor  to 
inform  Your  Highness,  under  direction  of  the  Secretary 
of  State  of  the  United  States,  that  a  bill  has  passed  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States  authorizing  the  President 
to  modify  the  indemnity  bond  given  the  United  States 
by  China  from  $24,440,000  to  $13,655,492.29,  with 
interest  at  four  per  cent  per  annum.  Of  this  amount 
$2,000,000  are  held  pending  the  result  of  hearings  on 
private  claims  presented  to  the  Court  of  Claims  of  the 
United  States  within  one  year.  Any  balance  remaining 
after  such  adjudication  is  also  to  be  returned  to  the  Chi- 
nese Government,  in  such  manner  as  the  Secretary  of 
State  shall  decide. 

The  President  is  further  authorized  under  the  Bill  to 
remit  to  China  the  remainder  of  the  indemnity  as  an  act 

257 


CHINA 

of  friendship,  such  payments  and  remissions  to  be  made 
at  such  times  and  in  such  a  manner  as  he  may  deem 
just. 

I  am  also  directed  by  the  Secretary  of  State  to  request 
the  Imperial  Government  kindly  to  favor  him  with  its 
views  as  to  the  time  and  manner  of  the  remissions. 

Trusting  that  Your  Imperial  Highness  will  favor  me 
with  an  early  reply  to  communicate  to  my  Government, 
I  avail  myself  of  this  occasion  to  renew  to  Your  Highness 
the  assurance  of  my  highest  consideration. 

W.   W.   ROCKHILL. 
To  His  Highness, 
Prince  of  Ch'ing, 
President  of  the  Wai-Wu-Pu  [Board  of  Foreign  Affairs], 

II 

PRINCE   OF   ch'ing  TO  MR.   ROCKHILL 

(Translation) 

July  14,  igo8. 

Your  Excellency  :  — 

I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 

dispatch  of  July  11,  informing  me  that  you  had  been 

directed  to  notify  me  .  .  . 

[Here  follows  a  resume  of  Mr.  Rockhill's  letter.] 

On  reading  this  dispatch  I  was  profoundly  impressed 
with  the  justice  and  great  friendliness  of  the  American 
Government,  and  wish  to  express  our  sincerest  thanks. 

Concerning  the  time  and  manner  of  the  return  of  the 
amounts  to  be  remitted  to  China,  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment has  no  wishes  to  express  in  the  matter.  It  relies 
implicitly  on  the  friendly  intentions  of  the  United  States 
Government,  and  is  convinced  that  it  will  adopt  such 

258 


A  DIPLOMATIC   CORRESPONDENCE 

measures  as  are  best  calculated  to  attain  the  end  it  has 
in  view. 

The  Imperial  Government,  wishing  to  give  expression 
to  the  high  value  it  places  on  the  friendship  of  the  United 
States,  finds  in  its  present  action  a  favorable  opportim- 
ity  for  doing  so.  Mindful  of  the  desire  recently  expressed 
by  the  President  of  the  United  States  to  promote  the 
coming  of  Chinese  students  to  the  United  States  to  take 
courses  in  the  schools  and  higher  educational  institutions 
of  the  country,  and  convinced  by  the  happy  results  of 
past  experience  of  the  great  value  to  China  of  education 
in  American  schools,  the  Imperial  Government  has  the 
honor  to  state  that  it  is  its  intention  to  send  henceforth 
yearly  to  the  United  States  a  considerable  number  of 
students,  there  to  receive  their  education.  The  Board  of 
Foreign  Affairs  will  confer  with  the  American  Minister  in 
Peking  concerning  the  elaboration  of  plans  for  the  carry- 
ing out  of  the  intention  of  the  Imperial  Government. 

A  necessary  dispatch. 

Seal  of  the  Wai-Wu-Pu. 

Ill 

THE   WAI-WU-PU  TO   MR.   ROCKHILL 

July  14,  1908. 

To  His  Excellency,  W.  W.  Rockhill, 
American  Minister,  Peking:  — 
Referring  to  the  dispatch  just  sent  to  Your  Excellency 
regarding  sending  students  to  America,  it  has  now  been 
determined  that  from  the  year  when  the  return  of  the 
indemnity  begins,  one  hundred  students  shall  be  sent  to 
America  every  year  for  four  years,  so  that  four  hundred 

259 


CHINA 

students  may  be  in  America  by  the  fourth  year.  From 
the  fifth  year  and  throughout  the  period  of  the  indemnity 
payments  a  minimum  of  fifty  students  will  be  sent  each 
year. 

As  the  number  of  students  will  be  very  great,  there 
will  be  difficulty  in  making  suitable  arrangements  for 
them.  Therefore,  in  the  matter  of  choosing  them,  as 
well  as  in  the  matters  of  providing  suitable  homes  for 
them  in  America  and  selecting  the  schools  which  they  are 
to  enter,  we  hope  to  have  your  advice  and  assistance. 
The  details  of  our  scheme  will  have  to  be  elaborated 
later,  but  we  take  this  occasion  to  state  the  general 
features  of  our  plan,  and  ask  you  to  inform  the  American 
Government  of  it.  We  sincerely  hope  that  the  American 
Government  will  render  us  assistance  in  the  matter. 

Wishing  you  all  prosperity, 
(Signed)  Prince  of  Ch'ing      Yuan-Shih-K'ai, 

Na-Tung,  Lien-Fang. 

Liang-Tun-Yen. 

[Already,  and  quite  apart  from  the  scheme  proposed  in  the 
note  of  the  Wai-Wu-Pu,  there  are  maintained  in  the  United 
States  by  Imperial  and  Provincial  funds  one  hundred  and 
fifty-five  Chinese  students,  picked  boys  and  young  men,  sons 
of  ofiicials  and  prominent  and  wealthy  merchants,  chosen 
often  by  competitive  examinations.  The  students  now  to 
be  sent  annually  by  the  Imperial  Government  will  be  still 
more  carefully  selected.  These  are  the  men  destined  for 
positions  of  responsibility  and  influence  in  that  "Awakening 
China"  of  which  we  hear  so  much,  and  because  of  these 
things  our  schools  and  colleges,  the  undergraduates,  and  the 
people  at  large,  may  have  sight  of  the  opportunities  and  pos- 
sibilities which  are  theirs  and  ours. 

From  The  Outlook.] 


THE  REPUBLIC  OF  CHINA 

The  Manchu  Dynasty  has  abdicated,  after  holding  the 
Chinese  Imperial  throne  for  nearly  three  centuries.  The 
decree  of  abdication  will  be  of  historic  moment.  It  reads 
as  follows:  — 

"The  whole  country  is  tending  towards  a  republican 
form  of  government.  It  is  the  will  of  Heaven,  and  it  is 
certain  that  we  could  not  reject  the  people's  desire  for 
the  sake  of  one  family's  honor  and  glory. 

"We,  the  Dowager  Empress  and  the  Emperor,  hand 
over  the  sovereignty  to  the  people.  We  decide  the  form 
of  government  to  be  a  constitutional  republic. 

"In  this  time  of  transition,  in  order  to  unite  the  South 
and  the  North,  we  appoint  Yuan  Shi-kai  to  organize  a 
provisional  government,  consulting  the  people's  army 
regarding  the  union  of  the  five  peoples,  Manchus,  Chi- 
nese, MongoHans,  Mohammedans,  and  Tibetans.  These 
peoples  jointly  constitute  the  great  State  of  Chung  Hwa 
Ming-Kus  [a  republic  of  China]. 

"We  retire  to  a  peaceful  life  and  will  enjoy  the  respect- 
ful treatment  of  the  nation." 

This  was  signed  by  the  Empress  Dowager  for  herself 
and  the  little  Emperor;  by  Yuan  Shi-kai  as  Prime  Minis- 
ter; and  also  by  the  other  Ministers. 


KOREA 


HISTORICAL   NOTE 

Korean  history  begins  with  the  twelfth  century  B.C.,  when- 
the  nation  is  said  to  have  been  founded  by  one  Ki-tse.  In 
B.C.  io8,  China  conquered  and  took  possession  of  the  coun- 
try, but  soon  after  the  Christian  era  Korea  regained  her 
independence. 

The  Golden  Age  of  Korea  was  from  the  tenth  to  the  four- 
teenth centuries.  At  length  a  palace  revolution  resulted  in 
the  overthrow  of  Buddhism,  the  banishment  of  the  priests, 
and  the  establishment  of  a  dynasty  that  held  the  throne  until 
the  twentieth  century. 

In  1592,  the  Japanese  invaded  the  country,  but  with  the 
assistance  of  a  Chinese  army  the  Koreans  at  length  drove 
them  back.  Soon  after,  the  Manchu  emperors  of  China 
placed  Korea  under  vassalage,  and  for  nearly  three  centuries 
tribute  was  sent  annually  to  Peking. 

The  Koreans  have  been  even  more  distrustful  of  foreigners 
than  were  their  neighbors,  Japan  and  China,  and  it  was  not 
until  1876  that  her  ports  were  opened  to  foreign  trade.  By 
the  war  of  1894  between  China  and  Japan,  Korea  was  freed 
from  her  allegiance  to  the  former  nation,  only  to  fall,  as  the 
result  of  the  Russo-Japanese  War,  under  the  more  exacting 
sway  of  the  latter.  In  1910,  the  Korean  king  was  deposed 
and  his  authority  transferred  to  a  Japanese  governor- 
general. 


A   GRAIN  SHOP  IN  KOREA 


A  GRAIN  SHOP  IN  KOREA 

Among  the  Koreans  are  many  followers  of  Confucius, 
and  there  are  also  Buddhist  monasteries  and  Christian 
missions;  but  the  one  article  of  belief  that  is  generally  prev- 
alent is  the  worship  of  ancestors.  The  ancestral  fire  must 
never  be  allowed  to  go  out.  The  Koreans  are  devoted  to 
their  children ;  and  the  children  return  this  devotion  by  every 
possible  courtesy  and  attention.  The  Korean  houses  are  of 
one  story,  built  of  wood  and  clay  and  rice-straw.  The  roofs 
are  generally  thatched,  and  there  are  very  few  windows. 

The  illustration  shows  particularly  well  the  dress  of  the 
Koreans.  The  men  wear  huge  pairs  of  white  cotton  trousers, 
padded  with  cotton  wool  and  tied  around  the  waist  with  a 
long  ribbon  and  tassels  —  the  Koreans  laugh  at  the  folly  of 
foreigners  in  cutting  buttonholes  in  good  cloth.  Their  socks 
are  also  padded,  and  into  them  the  trousers  are  thrust,  and 
tied  at  the  ankle  with  ribbon.  Their  coats  are  short,  tight 
at  the  shoulders,  and  have  short,  wide  sleeves.  Part  of  the 
hair  hangs  down  the  back;  the  rest  is  twisted  into  a  hard 
little  horn  at  the  top  of  the  head.  They  have  no  pockets, 
but  keep  money,  tobacco,  etc.,  in  little  silken  bags  of  white, 
blue,  or  orange.  Married  men  wear  hats  shaped  like  an 
inverted  flower-pot  on  a  round  tray,  and  tied  with  white  rib- 
bon under  the  chin.  Bachelors  wear  no  hats  and  are  obliged 
to  dress  like  children. 

The  women  of  Korea  wear  trousers  like  those  of  men, 
but  over  them  a  short  skirt,  both  generally  white.  A  tiny 
jacket  of  white,  red,  or  green  comes  next,  and  over  this  they 
put  a  long  green  coat,  throwing  it  over  the  head,  with  the 
sleeves  hanging  down. 


WHEN  HIDEYOSHI  INVADED  KOREA 

BY   HOMER   B.    HULBERT 

As  the  century  wore  on,  and  the  great  Hideyoshi  be- 
came shogun  in  Japan,  the  ambitious  designs  of  that  un- 
scrupulous usurper,  together  with  the  extreme  weakness 
of  Korea,  made  a  combination  of  circumstances  which 
boded  no  good  for  the  peninsula  people.  A  succession  of 
bloody  civil  wars  had  put  into  Hideyoshi 's  hands  an 
immense  body  of  trained  veterans,  and  the  cessation  of 
war  in  Japan  left  this  army  on  his  hands  without  any- 
thing to  do.  It  could  not  well  be  disbanded,  and  it  could 
not  safely  be  kept  on  a  war  footing  with  nothing  to  do. 
This  also  gave  Hideyoshi  food  for  thought,  and  he  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  he  could  kill  several  birds  with 
one  stone  by  invading  Korea.  His  main  intention  was 
the  conquest  of  China.  Korea  was  to  be  but  an  incident 
along  the  way.  It  was  necessary  to  make  Korea  the 
road  by  which  he  should  invade  China,  and  therefore 
he  sent  an  envoy  suggesting  that,  as  he  was  about  to 
conquer  the  four  corners  of  the  earth,  Korea  should  give 
him  free  passage  through  her  territory,  or,  better  still, 
should  join  him  in  the  subjugation  of  the  Flowery  King- 
dom. To  this  the  king  replied  that,  as  Korea  had  always 
been  friendly  with  China,  and  looked  upon  her  as  a 
child  upon  a  parent  or  as  a  younger  brother  upon  an 
elder,  she  could  not  think  of  taking  such  a  wicked 
course.  After  a  considerable  interchange  of  envoys, 
Hideyoshi  became  convinced  that  there  was  nothing 

26s 


KOREA 

to  do  but  crush  Korea,  as  a  preliminary  to  the  greater 
work. 

It  was  in  1592  that  Hideyoshi  launched  his  armies  at 
Korea.  He  was  unable  to  come  himself,  but  he  put  his 
forces  under  the  command  of  Hideyi  as  chief,  while  the 
actual  leaders  were  Kato  and  Konishi.  The  Korean  and 
Japanese  accounts  agree  substantially  in  saying  that  the 
Japanese  army  consisted  of  approximately  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  men.  They  had  five  thousand  battle- 
axes,  one  hundred  thousand  long  swords,  one  hundred 
thousand  short  swords,  five  himdred  thousand  daggers, 
three  hundred  thousand  firearms,  large  and  small,  but 
no  cannon.  There  were  fifty  thousand  horses.  Many  of 
the  Japanese  wore  hideous  masks  with  which  to  frighten 
the  enemy,  but  it  was  the  musketry  that  did  the  work. 
The  Koreans  had  no  firearms  at  all,  and  this  enormous 
discrepancy  is  the  second  of  the  main  causes  of  Japanese 
success.  The  Koreans  could  not  be  expected  to  stand 
against  trained  men  armed  with  muskets. 

Korea  had  long  expected  the  invasion,  and  had  kept 
China  well  informed  of  the  plans  of  Hideyoshi  and  his 
demands,  but  when  the  blow  was  struck  it  found  Korea 
unprepared.  She  had  enjoyed  the  blessings  of  peace 
so  long  that  her  army  had  dwindled  to  a  mere  posse  of 
poHce,  and  her  generals  were  used  simply  to  grace  their 
empty  pageants.  There  may  also  have  been  the  notion 
that  Japan  was  simply  a  medley  of  half-savage  tribes, 
whose  armies  could  not  be  truly  formidable.  If  so,  the 
Koreans  were  greatly  mistaken.  At  the  first  blow  it  be- 
came apparent  that  Korea  could  do  nothing  against  the 
invaders.  Fusan,  Tong-na,  Kim-ha,  and  the  other  towns 
along  the  route  to  Seoul  fell  in  quick  succession.  It  was 

266 


WHEN  HIDEYOSHI  INVADED  KOREA 

found  that  the  Japanese  army  was  too  large  to  advance 
by  a  single  route,  especially  as  they  had  to  live  off  the 
country,  in  large  part.  So  the  army  divided  into  three 
sections:  one,  led  by  General  Konishi,  came  north  by  the 
middle  road;  another,  to  the  east  of  this,  was  led  by 
General  Kato;  and  a  western  one  was  led  by  General 
Kuroda. 

It  was  on  the  seventeenth  of  the  fourth  moon  that  the 
terrible  news  of  the  landing  of  the  Japanese  reached 
Seoul  by  messenger,  though  the  fire  signals  flashing 
from  mountain-top  to  mountain-top  had  already  sig- 
nified that  trouble  had  broken  out.  The  king  and  the 
court  were  thrown  into  a  panic,  and  feverish  haste  was 
used  in  calling  together  the  scattered  remnants  of  the 
army.  The  showing  was  extremely  meager.  A  few  thou- 
sand men,  poorly  armed  and  entirely  lacking  in  drill, 
were  found,  but  their  leaders  were  even  worse  than  the 
men.  It  was  resolved  to  send  this  inadequate  force  to 
oppose  the  Japanese  at  the  great  Cho-ryung,  or  "Bird 
Pass,"  where  tens  of  men  in  defense  were  worth  thou- 
sands in  attack.  The  doughty  general,  Sil  Yip,  led  this 
forlorn  hope,  but  ere  the  pass  was  reached  the  gruesome 
tales  of  the  Japanese  prowess  reached  them,  and  Sil  Yip 
determined  to  await  the  coming  of  the  enemy  on  a  plain, 
where  he  deemed  that  the  battle-flails  of  the  Koreans 
would  do  better  execution  than  among  the  moimtains. 
The  pass  was,  therefore,  undefended,  and  the  Japanese 
swarmed  over,  met  Sil  Yip  with  his  ragged  following, 
swept  them  from  their  path,  and  hurried  on  toward 
Seoul. 

We  must  pause  a  moment  to  describe  the  Japanese 
leaders,  Kato  and  Konishi,  who  were  the  animating 

267 


KOREA 

spirits  of  the  invasion.  Kato  was  an  old  man  and  a  con- 
servative. He  was  withal  an  ardent  Buddhist  and  a 
scholar  of  the  old  school.  He  was  disgusted  that  such 
a  young  man  as  Konishi  was  placed  in  joint  command 
with  him.  This  Konishi  was  a  new-school  man,  young 
and  clever.  He  was  a  Roman  CathoHc  convert,  and  in 
every  respect  the  very  opposite  of  Kato,  except  in  brav- 
ery and  self-assertion.  They  proved  to  be  flint  and  steel 
to  each  other.  They  were  now  vying  with  one  another 
which  would  reach  Seoul  first.  Their  routes  had  been 
decided  by  lot,  and  Konishi  had  proved  fortunate,  but 
he  had  more  enemies  to  meet  than  Kato,  and  so  their 
chances  were  about  even. 

General  Yi  II  was  the  ranking  Korean  field  officer, 
and  he  with  four  thousand  men  was  hurried  south  to 
block  the  path  of  the  Japanese  wherever  he  chanced  to 
meet  them.  He  crossed  Bird  Pass  and  stationed  his  force 
at  Sung-ju,  in  the  very  track  of  the  approaching  invaders. 
But  when  his  scouts  told  him  the  numbers  and  the  arma- 
ment of  the  foe,  he  turned  and  fled  back  up  the  pass. 
This  was  bad  enough,  but  his  next  act  was  treason,  for 
he  left  the  pass  where  ten  men  could  have  held  a  thou- 
sand in  check,  and  put  a  wide  stretch  of  country  between 
himself  and  that  terrible  foe.  He  is  not  much  to  blame, 
considering  the  following  that  he  had.  He  never  stood 
up  and  attempted  to  fight  the  Japanese,  but  fell  back  as 
fast  as  they  approached. 

Konishi  with  his  forces  reached  the  banks  of  the  Han 
River  first,  but  there  were  no  boats  with  which  to  cross, 
and  the  northern  bank  was  defended  by  the  Koreans, 
who  here  had  a  good  opportunity  to  hold  the  enemy  in 
check.  But  the  sight  of  that  vast  array  was  too  much  for 

268 


WHEN  HIDEYOSHI   INVADED   KOREA 

the  Korean  general  in  charge,  and  he  retreated  with  his 
whole  force,  after  destroying  all  his  engines  of  war. 

Meanwhile  Seoul  was  in  turmoil,  indeed.  There  was 
no  one  to  man  the  walls,  the  people  were  in  a  panic  of 
fear,  messengers  were  running  wildly  here  and  there. 
Everything  was  in  confusion.  Some  of  the  king's  ad- 
visers urged  him  to  flee  to  the  north,  others  advised  to 
stay  and  defend  the  city.  He  chose  the  former  course, 
and  on  that  summer  night,  at  the  beginning  of  the  rainy 
season,  he  made  hasty  preparations  and  fled  out  the 
west  gate  along  the  "Peking  Road."  Behind  him  the 
city  was  in  flames.  The  people  were  looting  the  Govern- 
ment storehouses,  and  the  slaves  were  destroying  the 
archives  in  which  were  kept  the  slave-deeds;  for  slaves 
were  deeded  property,  like  real  estate,  in  those  days. 
The  rain  began  to  fall  in  torrents,  and  the  royal  cortege 
was  drenched  to  the  skin.  Food  had  not  been  supplied 
in  sufficient  quantities,  and  the  king  himself  had  to  go 
hungry  for  several  hours.  Seven  days  later  he  crossed  the 
Tadong  River,  and  was  safe  for  a  time  in  Pyeng-yang. 

Meanwhile  the  Japanese  were  revehng  in  Seoul.  Their 
great  mistake  was  this  delay.  If  they  had  pushed  on 
resolutely  and  without  delay,  they  would  have  taken 
China  unprepared,  but  they  lingered  by  the  way  and 
gave  time  for  the  preparation  of  means  for  the  ultimata 
victory  of  the  Koreans.  The  country  was  awakening 
from  the  first  stupor  of  fear,  and  loyal  men  were  collect- 
ing forces  here  and  there  and  drilling  them  in  hope  of 
ultimately  being  able  to  give  the  Japanese  a  home 
thrust.  Strong  though  the  Japanese  army  was,  it  labored 
under  certain  difiiculties.  It  was  cut  off  from  its  source 
of  supplies,  and  was  living  on  the  country.   Every  man 

269 


KOREA 

that  died  by  disease  or  otherwise  was  a  dead  loss,  for 
his  place  could  not  be  filled.  This  inability  to  obtain  re- 
inforcements was  caused  by  the  loyalty  and  the  genius 
of  Admiral  Yi  Sun-sin,  a  Korean  whose  name  deserves 
to  be  placed  beside  that  of  any  of  the  world's  great 
heroes.  Assuming  charge  of  the  Korean  fleet  in  the  south, 
he  had  invented  a  curious  ironclad  in  the  shape  of  a 
tortoise.  The  back  was  covered  with  iron  plates,  and 
was  impervious  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy.  With  his  boat 
he  met  and  engaged  a  Japanese  fleet,  bringing  sixty 
thousand  reinforcements  to  Hideyoshi's  army.  With  his 
swift  tortoise-boat  he  rammed  the  smaller  Japanese 
craft  right  and  left,  and  soon  threw  the  whole  fleet  into 
confusion.  Into  the  struggling  mass  he  threw  fire- 
arrows,  and  a  terrible  conflagration  broke  out,  which 
destroyed  almost  the  entire  fleet.  A  few  boats  escaped 
and  carried  the  news  of  the  disaster  back  to  Japan. 

This  may  be  called  the  turning-point  in  the  war,  for 
although  the  Japanese  forces  went  as  far  as  Pyeng-yang, 
and  the  king  had  to  seek  asylum  on  the  northern  frontier, 
yet  the  spirit  of  the  invasion  was  broken.  China,  moved 
at  last  by  Korea's  appeals,  was  beginning  to  wake  up  to 
the  seriousness  of  the  situation,  and  the  Japanese, 
separated  so  long  from  their  homes  and  entirely  cut  off 
from  Japan,  were  beginning  to  be  anxious.  The  mutual 
jealousies  of  the  Japanese  leaders  also  had  their  effect, 
so  that  when  the  allied  Koreans  and  Chinese  appeared 
before  Pyeng-yang  and  began  to  storm  the  place,  the 
Japanese  were  glad  enough  to  steal  away  by  night  and 
hurry  southward.  They  were  pursued,  and  it  was  not 
till  they  had  gone  back  as  far  as  the  capital  that  they 
could  rest  long  enough  to  take  breath.    It  should  be 

270 


WHEN   HIDEYOSHI   INVADED   KOREA 

noted  that  China  did  not  come  to  the  aid  of  Korea  until 
the  backbone  of  the  invasion  was  practically  broken. 
It  was  a  pity  that  Korea  did  not  have  an  opportunity 
to  finish  off  the  Japanese  single-hand.  With  no  hope  of 
reinforcement,  the  Japanese  army  would  have  been  glad 
to  make  terms  and  retire,  but  the  peculiar  actions  of  the 
Chinese,  which  gave  rise  to  the  suspicion  that  they 
had  been  tampered  with  by  the  Japanese,   gave  the 
latter  ample  time  to  reach  the  southern  coast  and  fortify 
themselves  there.     The  very  presence  of  the  Chinese 
tended  to  retard  the  growth  of  that  national  spirit  among 
the  Koreans  which  led  them  to  arm  in  defense  of  their 
country.    It  might  have  been  the  beginning  of  a  new 
Korea,  even  as  the  recent  war  gives  hope  of  the  begin- 
ning of  a  new  Russia,  by  awakening  her  to  her  own  needs. 
Intrenched  in  powerful  forts  along  the  southern  coast, 
the  Japanese  held  on  for  two  full  years,  the  Koreans 
swarming  about  them  and  doing  good  service  at  guerrilla 
warfare.    Countless  are  the  stories  told  of  the  various 
bands  of  patriots  that  arose  at  this  time  and  made  life 
a  torment  for  the  invaders.  The  Japanese  at  last  began 
to  use  diplomacy  in  order  to  extricate  themselves  from 
their  unpleasant  position.  Envoys  passed  back  and  forth 
between  Korea  and  China  continually,  and  at  last,  in 
the  summer  of  1596,  the  Japanese  army  was  allowed  to 
escape  to  Japan.  This  was  a  grievous  mistake.  Konishi 
was  willing  to  get  away  to  Japan,  because  the  redoubt- 
able Admiral  Yi  Sun-sin  was  still  alive,  and  so  long  as  he 
was  on  the  sea  the  Japanese  could  not  hope  to  bring 
reinforcements  to  the  peninsula.  They  had  lost  already 
one  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  men  at  the  hands  of 
this  Korean  Nelson,  and  they  were  afraid  of  him. 

271 


KOREA 

We  here  meet  with  one  of  the  results  of  party  strife, 
the  seeds  of  which  had  been  sown  half  a  century  earlier. 
When  the  immediate  pressure  of  war  was  removed,  the 
various  successful  generals  began  vilifying  each  other 
and  laying  the  blame  for  the  initial  disasters  upon  one 
another.  Not  a  few  of  the  very  best  men  were  either 
killed  or  stripped  of  honors.  Some  of  them  retired  in 
disgust,  and  refused  to  have  anything  more  to  do  with 
a  government  that  was  carried  on  in  such  a  way.  But 
the  most  glaring  instance  of  all  this  was  that  of  Admiral 
Yi  Sun-sin.  When  the  Japanese  went  back  to  their  own 
country,  they  began  to  plan  another  invasion,  this  time 
for  the  less  ambitious  purpose  of  punishing  Korea.  Only 
one  thing  was  necessary  to  their  success.  Admiral  Yi 
must  be  gotten  out  of  the  way.  Korean  accounts  say 
that  this  was  accompHshed  as  follows. 

A  Korean  who  had  attached  himself  to  the  fortunes  of 
the  Japanese  was  sent  by  the  latter  back  to  Korea,  and 
he  appeared  before  one  of  the  Korean  generals  and  of- 
fered to  give  some  very  important  information.  It  was 
that  a  Japanese  fleet  was  coming  against  Korea,  and 
it  would  be  very  necessary  to  send  Admiral  Yi  Sun-sin 
to  intercept  it  at  a  certain  group  of  islands.  The  king 
learned  of  this,  and  immediately  ordered  the  admiral 
to  carry  out  this  work.  Admiral  Yi  replied  that  the  place 
mentioned  was  very  dangerous  for  navigation,  and  that 
it  would  be  far  better  to  await  the  coming  of  the  Japan- 
ese at  a  point  nearer  the  Korean  coast.  His  detractors 
used  this  as  a  handle,  and  charged  him  with  treason 
in  not  obeying  the  word  of  the  king.  After  refusing  for 
a  second  time  to  jeopardize  his  fleet  in  this  way,  he  was 
shorn  of  office  and  degraded  to  the  ranks.    He  obeyed 

272 


WHEN  HIDEYOSHI  INVADED  KOREA 

without  a  murmur.  This  was  precisely  what  the  Japanese 
were  waiting  for.  Hearing  that  the  formidable  Yi  was 
out  of  the  way,  they  immediately  sailed  from  Japan.  The 
Korean  fleet  had  been  put  under  the  command  of  a  worth- 
less official,  who  fled  from  before  the  enemy,  and  thus 
allowed  the  Japanese  to  land  a  second  time.  This  was  in 
the  first  moon  of  1597,  and  it  took  a  thousand  boats  to 
bring  the  Japanese  army.  When  it  landed,  all  was  again 
in  turmoil.  A  hasty  appeal  was  made  to  China  for  help, 
and  a  loud  cry  was  raised  for  the  reinstatement  of  Ad- 
miral Yi  Sun-sin  in  his  old  station.  This  was  done,  and 
he  soon  cut  off  the  new  army  of  invasion  from  its  source 
of  supplies,  and  had  them  exactly  where  they  were  be- 
fore. But  this  time  the  Japanese  army  did  not  have  its 
own  way  upon  the  land  as  in  the  former  case.  The  Ko- 
reans had  been  trained  to  war.  Firearms  had  been  pro- 
cured, and  their  full  initiation  into  Japanese  methods 
had  prepared  them  for  defense.  Small  bands  of  Koreans 
swarmed  about  the  Japanese,  cutting  off  a  dozen  here 
and  a  score  there,  until  they  were  glad  to  get  behind  the 
battlements  of  their  forts.  A  powerful  army  of  the  Japan- 
ese started  for  Seoul  by  the  western  route,  but  they  were 
met  in  Chiksan  by  the  allied  Koreans  and  Chinese,  and 
so  severely  whipped  that  they  never  again  attempted  to 
march  on  the  capital.  For  a  time  the  war  dragged  on, 
neither  side  scoring  any  considerable  victories,  and  in 
truth  for  part  of  the  time  there  was  so  little  fighting  that 
the  Japanese  settled  down  like  immigrants  and  tilled  the 
soil,  and  even  took  wives  from  among  the  peasant  wo- 
men. But  in  1598  it  was  decided  that  a  final  grand  effort 
must  be  made  to  rid  the  country  of  them. 
The  Japanese  knew  that  their  cause  was  hopeless, 

273 


KOREA 

and  they  only  wanted  to  get  away  safely.  They  had  some 
boats,  but  they  dared  not  leave  the  shelter  of  the  guns 
of  their  forts,  for  fear  that  they  would  be  attacked  by 
Admiral  Yi  Sun-sin.  They  tried  to  bribe  the  Chinese 
generals,  and  it  is  said  that  in  this  they  had  some  suc- 
cess. But  when,  relying  on  this,  they  boarded  their  ves- 
sels and  set  sail  for  Japan,  they  found  that  the  famous 
admiral  was  not  included  in  the  bargain,  for  he  came 
out  at  them,  and,  in  the  greatest  naval  battle  of  the  war, 
destroyed  almost  the  whole  fleet.  In  the  battle  he  was 
mortally  wounded,  but  he  did  not  regret  this,  for  he 
saw  that  his  country  was  freed  of  invaders,  and  he  felt 
sure  that  his  enemies  at  court  would  eventually  compass 
his  death  even  if  he  survived  the  war. 

It  was  during  this  second  invasion  that  the  Japanese 
shipped  back  to  Japan  a  large  number  of  pickled  ears 
and  noses  of  Koreans,  which  were  buried  at  Kyoto.  The 
place  is  shown  to-day,  and  stands  a  mute  memorial  of  as 
savage  and  wanton  an  outrage  as  stains  the  record  of  any 
great  people.  During  the  years  of  Japanese  occupancy 
they  sent  back  to  Japan  enormous  quantities  of  booty  of 
every  kind.  The  Koreans  were  skilled  in  making  a  pecu- 
liar kind  of  glazed  pottery,  which  the  Japanese  admired 
very  much.  So  they  took  the  whole  colony  bodily  to 
Japan,  with  all  their  implements,  and  set  them  down  in 
western  Japan  to  carry  on  their  industry.  This  succeeded 
so  well  that  the  celebrated  Satsuma  ware  was  the  result. 
The  remnants  of  the  descendants  of  the  Koreans  are  still 
found  in  Japan. 

Only  a  few  years  elapsed  before  the  Japanese  applied 
to  the  Korean  Government  to  be  allowed  to  establish  a 
trading  station  at  Fusan,  or  rather   to  reestablish  it. 

274 


WHEN   HIDEYOSHI  INVADED   KOREA 

Permission  was  granted,  and  elaborate  laws  were  made 
limiting  the  number  of  boats  that  could  come  annually, 
the  amount  of  goods  they  could  bring,  and  the  cere- 
monies that  must  be  gone  through.  The  book  in  which 
these  details  are  set  down  is  of  formidable  size.  The 
perusal  of  it  shows  conclusively  that  Japan  assumed  a 
very  humble  attitude,  and  that  Korea  treated  her  at 
best  no  better  than  an  equal.  This  trading  station  may 
be  called  the  back  door  of  Korea,  for  her  face  was  ever 
toward  China;  and,  while  considerable  trade  was  carried 
on  by  means  of  these  annual  trading  expeditions  of  the 
Japanese,  it  was  as  nothing  compared  with  the  trade 
that  was  carried  on  with  China  by  junk  and  overland 
through  Manchuria. 


JAPAN 

I 
IN   ANCIENT   TIMES 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

The  history  of  Japan,  like  that  of  China,  begins  with  a  time 
of  legend  and  myth,  when  gods  and  demigods  mingled  in  the 
affairs  of  men.  It  was  probably  about  fifteen  hundred  years 
before  the  birth  of  Christ  when  the  first  bands  of  Mongolians 
arrived  from  the  continent  of  Asia  and  began  the  work  of 
wresting  the  islands  from  the  original  inhabitants,  the  Ainos. 
But  it  is  not  until  660  B.C.,  with  the  coming  of  Jimmu  Tenno, 
leader  of  a  fresh  band  of  invaders,  that  even  legendary  his- 
tory begins.  In  552  a.d.  Buddhist  missionaries  arrived  from 
Korea,  bringing  with  them  writing,  calendars,  and  methods  of 
computing  time;  and  soon  after  Buddhism  was  proclaimed 
the  state  religion.  By  the  seventh  century  the  power  of  the 
mikado,  or  emperor,  had  become  subordinated  to  that  of 
the  court  officials.  During  the  twelfth  century  the  great  fam- 
ilies of  the  Taira  and  Minamoto  contended  for  the  power, 
and  this  struggle,  known  as  the  wars  of  "  Genji  and  Heike," 
has  ever  since  been  a  favorite  subject  for  the  writer  and 
the  artist. 


JIMMU  TENNO,  THE  FIRST  MIKADO  OF 
JAPAN 

BY   WILLIAM   ELLIOT   GRIFFIS 

In  the  beginning,  heaven  and  earth  were  not  yet  sepa- 
rated. Chaos,  enveloping  all  things  like  an  egg,  contained 
a  germ.  The  clear,  airy  substance  expanded  and  became 
heaven,  the  heavy  and  thick  part  coagulated  and  became 
the  earth.  Then  the  young  land  floated  in  the  water  like 
oil,  and  drifted  about  like  a  jelly-fish.  Out  of  this  warm 
earth  sprouted  a  bush-like  object  from  which  were 
born  two  deities,  Pleasant-Reed-Shoot-Prince-Elder- 
God,  and  The  Deity-Standing-Eternally-in-Heaven. 
After  these  heavenly  deities  seven  generations  of  gods 
were  born.  Their  names  are  The  Deity-Standing-Eter- 
nally-on-Earth,  Luxuriant-Thick-Mud-Master,  Mud- 
Earth-Lord,  Mud-Earth-Lady,  and  others  with  very 
long  names,  usually  ending  in  the  word  mikoto,  which 
we  translate  "augustness." 

These  kami  or  gods,  though  in  pairs  called  a  genera- 
tion, were  each  single  and  had  no  sex;  but  the  last  two 
of  the  series  were  Izanagi  and  Izanami,  and  their  names 
mean  The-Male-Who-Invites,  and  The-Female-Who- 
Invites. 

After  these  seven  divine  generations  had  come  into 
existence,  all  the  heavenly  gods,  granting  to  Izanagi 
and  Izanami  a  heavenly  jeweled  spear,  commanded  the 
pair  to  make,  consolidate,  and  give  life  to  the  drifting 
land.    The  two  gods  stood  on  the  Floating  Bridge  of 

279 


JAPAN 

Heaven,  and  Izanagi  pushed  down  the  jeweled  spear 
and  stirred  the  soft  warm  mud  and  salt  water.  When  the 
spear  was  drawn  up,  the  drops  that  fell  from  it  thick- 
ened and  formed  the  Island  of  the  Congealed  Drop.  In 
common  geography,  this  island  is  Awaji,  at  the  entrance 
of  the  Inland  Sea.  Upon  this  the  two  gods  descended, 
and,  planting  the  jeweled  spear  in  the  ground,  they  made 
it  the  central  pillar  of  a  palace.  They  then  separated 
to  walk  round  the  island ;  when  they  met,  Izanami,  the 
female  god,  cried  out,  — 

"How  lovely  to  meet  a  handsome  male!" 

Izanagi  was  offended  that  the  female  had  spoken 
first,  and  demanded  that  the  tour  round  the  island  be 
repeated.  Meeting  the  second  time,  Izanagi,  the  male 
god,  spoke  first,  and  cried  out,  — 

"How  joyful  to  meet  a  lovely  female!" 

Thus  began  the  art  of  love. 

Then  followed  the  creation  of  the  various  islands  of 
Japan,  and  all  the  gods  who  live  on  the  earth  and  are 
called  the  earthly  deities.  These  earthly  gods  married 
among  each  other,  and  from  them  were  born  many  good 
things,  such  as  rice,  wheat,  millet,  beans,  sorghum,  and 
other  articles  of  food.  Gradually  the  earth  was  filled  with 
trees  and  plants  and  beautiful  objects,  as  gems  and  shells 
and  waves. 

Down  below  the  earth  was  the  Land  of  Roots,  or 
Home  of  Darkness.  Izanami,  when  offended  at  her  hus- 
band, fled  into  this  place,  and  died  in  giving  birth  to  the 
god  of  fire.  Izanagi  had  to  go  after  her  to  win  her  back. 
He  found  it  a  region  of  awful  foulness,  and  his  wife  a 
mass  of  worms.  Rushing  out,  he  washed  himself  in  the 
sea,  and  from  the  rinsings  were  born  a  great  many  evil 

280 


JIMMU  TENNO,  FIRST  MIKADO  OF  JAPAN 

gods.  These  trouble  the  good  gods,  and  vex  and  annoy 
mankind.  But  out  of  his  left  eye  was  born  a  beautiful 
maiden  whose  body  shone  brilliantly. 

At  this  time  the  heaven  and  earth  were  close  together, 
united  by  a  pillar.  Going  up  this  pillar  into  heaven, 
Izanagi's  beautiful  daughter  became  the  sun,  or  the 
Heaven-illuminating  Goddess.  Izanagi's  son  became 
the  moon,  and  was  commanded  to  rule  the  blue  plane 
of  the  sea  and  multitudinous  salt  waters.  The  names  of 
these  two  are  Amaterasu  and  Susanoo. 

As  the  earthly  gods  and  evil  deities  multiplied,  and 
confusion  reigned  on  the  earth,  the  Sun  Goddess,  or 
Heaven-Illuminator,  resolved  to  send  her  grandson 
Ninigi  down  to  the  earth  to  rule  over  it.  She  gave  him 
three  precious  treasures,  —  a  mirror,  the  emblem  of  her 
own  soul;  a  sword  of  divine  temper,  which  her  brother 
had  taken  from  the  tail  of  an  eight-headed  dragon  which 
he  had  slain ;  and  a  ball  of  crystal  without  a  flaw. 

Great  was  the  day  when  a  mighty  company  of  gods 
escorting  Ninigi  marched  down  out  of  heaven,  and,  on 
the  Floating  Bridge  of  Heaven  by  which  the  two  hea- 
venly gods  had  first  descended,  came  down  to  the  earth. 
Reaching  the  top  of  the  great  mountain  Kirishima,  which 
lies  between  Satsuma  and  Hiuga,  they  descended  into 
the  wild  regions  of  Japan. 

Ninigi  began  at  once  to  reduce  the  earthly  gods  in  or- 
der, and  maintain  good  government.  Heaven  and  earth 
now  grew  wider  and  wider  apart,  and  at  last  separated, 
so  that  communication  was  no  longer  possible. 

The  sons  of  Ninigi  were  named  Princes  Fire  Fade  and 
Fire  Glow.  While  fishing,  they  had  a  quarrel,  and 
Prince  Fire  Fade  went  down  beneath  the  sparkHng  ocean 

281 


JAPAN 

waves  to  Riu  Gu,  the  palace  of  the  Dragon  King  of  the 
World  under  the  Sea;  there  he  married  the  King's 
daughter,  the  Jewel  Princess.  After  a  time  spent  in  the 
under-sea  world,  the  Dragon  King,  or  Ocean-Possessor, 
sent  Prince  Fire  Fade  back  to  earth  on  the  back  of  a 
crocodile,  armed  with  the  jewels  of  the  ebbing  and  flow- 
ing tides.  With  these  he  was  able  to  cause  or  to  quell  a 
flood  of  waters.  He  raised  one  that  threatened  to  drown 
the  whole  world,  and  then  his  brother  Prince  Fire  Glow 
behaved  himself.  Prince  Fire  Glow  begged  pardon  and 
became  the  servant  of  his  brother  who  possessed  the 
wonderful  tide  jewels. 

Prince  Fire  Fade  now  built  a  hut  on  the  seashore, 
and  roofed  with  it  cormorant  wings.  Here  was  born  the 
child  that  became  Jimmu  Tenno,  the  great-grandson 
of  the  Sun  Goddess,  and  the  first  Mikado  of  Japan. 
Prince  Fire  Fade,  filled  with  curiosity,  ventured  to  peep 
into  the  hut  roofed  with  cormorant  wings.  There  he  saw 
only  a  crocodile  eight  fathoms  long,  which  crawled  into 
the  sea,  and  plunged  down  to  the  Dragon  King's  palace 
far  below. 

The  child  thus  born  of  a  sea  monster  grew  up  to  be  a 
great  warrior,  and  after  many  years'  conquest  made 
himself  master  of  the  island  now  called  Kiushiu.  One  day, 
on  coming  to  the  edge  of  the  sea,  he  saw  a  tiny  little 
earth-god  riding  towards  him  in  the  shell  of  a  tortoise, 
raising  his  wings  as  he  came.  Knowing  the  sea-path,  he 
became  Jimmu's  guide  to  Naniwa,  near  the  place  now 
called  Osaka.  On  landing  with  his  army  and  fighting  the 
enemy,  the  brother  of  Jimmu  was  mortally  wounded  in 
the  hand  by  an  arrow. 

Ascribing  this  calamity  to  the  fact  that  they  had 
282 


JTMMU  TENNO,  FIRST  MIKADO  OF  JAPAN 

marched  against  or  in  the  face  of  the  sun,  they  turned 
and  made  their  way  round  the  southern  side,  with  their 
back  to  the  sun.  Meanwhile  the  heavenly  gods  came 
to  Jimmu's  aid,  and  dropped  a  sword  of  divine  temper 
through  the  roof  of  a  storehouse  owned  by  a  native  of 
the  region.  He  brought  and  presented  it  to  Jimmu.  Be- 
fore this  sword  the  enemy  fell  down.  The  heavenly  gods 
also  sent  a  crow  eight  feet  long  to  guide  the  army.  Many 
earthly  gods,  ancestors  of  tribes,  now  submitted  them- 
selves to  Jimmu.  At  a  great  cave  eighty  earth-spiders 
were  hiding,  which  he  attacked  and  killed.  So,  having 
thus  subdued  the  savage  deities,  and  extirpated  the  re- 
bellious people,  Jimmu  built  a  palace  at  Kashiwabara, 
the  oak  moor  in  Yamato.  There  he  married  the  princess 
Ahira.  Jimmu  died  when  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven 
years  old. 

Thus  began  the  dynasty  of  the  emperors  of  Everlast- 
ing Great  Japan,  "unbroken  from  ages  eternal." 


THE  JAPANESE  STORY-TELLER 

BY   SIR  EDWIN  ARNOLD 

The  Hanashika,  or  story-teller  of  Japan,  is  a  highly 
popular  personage  in  town  and  country,  who,  possess- 
ing a  good  voice  and  tuneful  ear,  and  being  primed 
full  of  the  legends  and  records  which  best  suit  native 
taste,  gives  his  primitive,  but  very  alluring,  entertain- 
ments in  one  spot  after  another,  as  he  trudges  along 
the  Tokiado,  or  any  other  main  road  of  the  empire. 
The  general  place  for  the  performances  is  a  large  upper 
room  over  the  principal  shop  of  the  village  street.  In 
front  of  the  entrance  will  be  planted  bamboo  flagstaffs, 
with  dark-blue  banners  laced  vertically  to  them,  bear- 
ing the  name  of  the  performer,  and  perhaps  the  titles 
of  some  of  the  tales  or  songs  which  he  proposes  to  offer. 
During  the  day  an  assistant  will  perambulate  the  vil- 
lage beating  a  drum  and  blowing  a  horn,  after  which  he 
proclaims  at  every  corner  the  eminent  gifts  of  his 
sensei,  and  invites  the  public  to  be  present.  At  evening 
you  go  with  the  crowd,  dropping  oflf  shoes  or  slippers 
at  the  foot  of  the  polished  ladder  leading  to  the  yose, 
as  the  hall  of  entertainment  is  called.  You  may  enter 
for  the  modest  price  of  four  sen,  or  twopence;  after 
which,  if  desirous  to  be  ranked  with  the  "quality,"  an 
additional  payment  of  ten  sen,  or  fivepence,  will  give 
you  a  right  to  the  very  best  situation  upon  the  mats, 
and  to  a  cushion  on  the  floor,  as  well  as  a  tobacco-box 
and  teapot,  with  perhaps  a  fan.  The  narrator  sits  cross- 
legged  before  a  low  desk,  tsukue,  holding  in  his  left  hand 

284 


THE  JAPANESE   STORY-TELLER 

a  fan,  or  bamboo  paper-knife,  with  which  he  beats  en- 
ergetically upon  his  desk  at  the  critical  passages  of  his 
story.  The  company  listen,  with  the  admirable  patience 
and  politeness  of  the  race;  and,  if  at  all  bored,  smoke 
extra  pipes  and  drink  incessant  tea.  Generally  they 
are  very  much  amused,  and  that  too  by  the  simplest 
stories,  for  the  reciter  intersperses  his  prose  with  vivid 
gestures,  snatches  of  singing,  and  ejaculations  that  wake 
up  the  sleepiest ;  while,  if  there  be  many  children  present, 
he  will  perhaps  narrate  one  of  the  old  fairy-tales  of  Ja- 
pan, which  everybody  loves,  like  this,  which  Mrs.  James 
so  well  translated,  of  the  fisher-boy  who  married  the 
princess. 

THE  FISHER-BOY  URASHIMA 

Long  ago  there  lived,  on  the  coast  of  the  Sea  of  Ja- 
pan, a  young  fisherman  named  Urashima,  a  kindly  lad 
and  clever  with  his  net  and  line.  One  day  he  went  out 
in  his  boat  to  fish.  But  instead  of  catching  any  fish, 
he  caught  a  big  tortoise,  with  a  hard  shell,  a  wrinkled 
ugly  face,  and  a  foolish  tail.  Tortoises  always  live 
a  thousand  years  —  at  least  Japanese  tortoises  do.  So 
Urashima  thought  to  himself:  "A  fish  would  do  for  my 
dinner  just  as  well  as  this  tortoise;  in  point  of  fact, 
better.  Why  should  I  kill  the  poor  thing,  and  prevent 
it  from  enjoying  itself  for  another  999  years?  No,  no! 
I  won't  be  so  cruel."  And  with  these  words,  he  threw 
the  tortoise  back  into  the  sea.  The  next  incident  that 
happened  was  that  Urashima  went  to  sleep  in  his  boat, 
for  it  was  one  of  those  hot  summer  days  when  the  sea 
rocks  its  children  to  slumber.  And,  as  he  slept,  there 
came  up  from  beneath  the  waves  a  beautiful  girl,  who 

28s 


JAPAN 

climbed  into  the  boat  and  said,  "I  am  the  daughter 
of  the  Sea-God,  and  I  live  with  my  father  in  the  Dragon 
Palace  beyond  the  waves.  It  was  not  a  tortoise  that 
you  caught  just  now,  and  so  kindly  threw  back  into  the 
water  instead  of  killing  it.  It  was  myself.  My  father, 
the  Sea-God,  had  sent  me  to  see  whether  you  were  good 
or  bad  in  your  inmost  heart.  We  now  know  that  you 
are  good  and  kind,  and  do  not  like  to  do  cruel  things; 
and  so  I  have  come  to  fetch  you.  You  shall  marry  me, 
if  you  please;  and  we  will  hve  happily  together  for  a 
thousand  years  in  the  Dragon  Palace  beyond  the  deep 
blue  sea."  So  Urashima  took  one  oar,  and  the  Sea-God's 
daughter  took  the  other,  and  they  rowed  till  at  last  they 
came  to  the  Dragon  Palace  where  the  Sea-God  lived, 
and  ruled  as  king  over  all  the  dragons  and  tortoises  and 
crabs  and  fishes.  The  walls  of  the  palace  were  of  coral, 
the  trees  had  emeralds  for  leaves  and  rubies  for  berries, 
the  fishes'  scales  were  of  silver,  and  the  dragons'  tails 
of  solid  gold.  All  the  most  beautiful  glittering  things 
that  have  ever  been  seen  met  together  there,  and  the 
liveliest  imagination  will  never  picture  what  this  palace 
looked  like.  It  all  belonged  to  Urashima.  Here  they 
lived  very  happily  for  countless  years,  wandering  about 
every  day  among  the  beautiful  trees  with  emerald  leaves 
and  ruby  berries.  But  one  morning  Urashima  said  to  his 
wife,  "I  am  quite  happy  with  you,  delightful  one! 
Still  I  want  to  go  home  and  see  my  father  and  mother 
and  brothers  and  sisters.  Permit  me  to  depart  for  a 
short  time,  and,  by  the  truth  of  my  love,  I  will  soon 
be  back  again."  "I  don't  like  you  to  go,"  said  she; 
*'I  am  very  much  afraid  that  something  dreadful  will 
happen.  However  if  you  will  go,  there  is  no  help  for  it; 

286 


THE   JAPANESE   STORY-TELLER 

only  you  must  take  this  box,  which  will  protect  you, 
on  condition  that  you  are  very  careful  not  to  open  it. 
When  you  open  it  you  will  never  be  able  to  come  back 
here."  So  Urashima  promised  to  take  great  care  of 
the  box,  and  not  to  open  it  on  any  account;  and,  then, 
getting  into  his  boat,  he  rowed  off,  and  at  last  landed 
on  the  shore  of  his  own  country. 

But  much  had  happened  while  he  had  been  away. 
Whither  had  his  father's  cottage  gone?  What  had  be- 
come of  the  village  where  he  used  to  live?  The  moun- 
tains, indeed,  were  there  as  before,  but  the  trees  on 
them  had  been  cut  down.  The  little  brook  that  ran  close 
by  his  father's  cottage  was  still  running;  but  there  were 
no  women  washing  clothes  in  it  any  more.  It  seemed  very 
strange  that  everything  should  have  changed  so  much  in 
three  short  years.  Just  then  two  men  chanced  to  pass 
along  the  beach,  and  Urashima  went  up  to  them  and 
said,  "Can  you  tell  me,  if  you  please,  to  what  spot 
Urashima's  cottage,  which  used  to  stand  here,  has  been 
moved?"  "Urashima?"  said  they;  "why,  it  is  four 
hundred  years  ago  since  he  was  drowned,  out  fishing. 
His  parents,  and  his  brothers,  and  their  great-great- 
grandchildren are  all  dead  long  ago.  It  is  an  old,  very 
old  story.  How  can  you  be  so  foolish  as  to  ask  after  his 
cottage?   It  fell  to  pieces  hundreds  of  years  ago." 

Then  it  suddenly  flashed  across  Urashima's  mind 
that  the  Sea-God's  palace  beyond  the  waves,  with  its 
coral  walls,  and  its  ruby  fruits  and  its  dragons  with 
tails  of  solid  gold,  must  be  part  of  fairyland,  and  that 
one  day  in  that  land  was  probably  as  long  as  a  year  in 
this  world,  so  that  his  swift  years  in  the  Sea-God's  pal- 
ace had  really  endured  for  hundreds  of  years.  Of  course, 

287 


JAPAN 

there  was  no  use  in  staying  at  home,  now  that  all  his 
friends  were  dead  and  buried,  and  even  the  village  had 
passed  away.  So  Urashima  was  in  a  great  hurry  to  get 
back  to  his  wife,  the  Dragon  Princess,  beyond  the  sea. 
But  which  was  the  way?  He  could  not  find  it  without 
any  one  to  show  it  to  him.  "Perhaps,"  thought  he,  "if 
I  open  the  box  which  she  gave  me  I  shall  be  able  to  learn 
the  road."  So  he  disobeyed  her  orders  not  to  open  the 
box  —  or,  possibly,  he  forgot  them.  Anyhow,  he 
opened  the  box,  and  out  of  it  came  —  what? 

Here  the  fan  of  our  story-teller  would  furiously  beat 
the  desk. 

Nothing  but  a  white  cloud  which  floated  away  over 
the  sea!  Urashima  shouted  to  the  cloud  to  stop,  rushed 
about  and  screamed  with  sorrow;  for  he  remembered 
now  what  his  wife  had  told  him,  and  how,  after  opening 
the  box,  he  should  never  be  able  to  go  to  the  Sea-God's 
palace  again.  But  soon  he  could  neither  run  nor  shout 
any  more.  Suddenly  his  hair  grew  as  white  as  snow,  his 
face  got  wrinkled,  and  his  back  bent  like  that  of  a  very 
old  man.  Then  his  breath  stopped  short,  and  he  fell 
down  dead  on  the  beach!  Ah,  Zannen!  Zannen!  Woe 
for  Urashima!  He  died  because  he  had  been  foolish 
and  disobedient.  If  only  he  had  done  as  he  was 
told,  he  might  have  lived  another  thousand  years.  If 
we  could  only  go  and  see  the  Dragon  Palace  beyond  the 
waves,  where  the  Sea- God  lives  and  rules  as  king  over 
the  dragons  and  the  tortoises  and  the  fishes,  where  the 
trees  have  emeralds  for  leaves  and  rubies  for  berries, 
where  the  fishes'  tails  are  of  silver  and  the  dragons' 
tails  all  of  solid  gold  —  never  would  we  open  that  stupid 
box.  No! 


THE  FISHER-BOY  URASHIMA 

'T  IS  spring,  and  the  mists  come  stealing 

O'er  Suminoye's  shore, 
And  I  stand  by  the  seaside  musing 

On  the  days  that  are  no  more. 

I  muse  on  the  old-world  story, 

As  the  boats  glide  to  and  fro, 
Of  the  fisher-boy  Urashima, 

Who  a-fishing  lov'd  to  go; 

How  he  came  not  back  to  the  village 
Though  sev'n  suns  had  risen  and  set, 

But  row'd  on  past  the  bounds  of  ocean, 
And  the  Sea-God's  daughter  met; 

How  they  pledged  their  faith  to  each  other, 
And  came  to  the  Evergreen  Land, 

And  enter'd  the  Sea-God's  palace 
So  lovingly  hand  in  hand,' 

To  dwell  for  aye  in  that  country. 

The  ocean-maiden  and  he,  — 
The  country  where  youth  and  beauty 

Abide  eternally. 

But  the  foolish  boy  said,  "To-morrow 
I  '11  come  back  with  thee  to  dwell ; 

But  I  have  a  word  to  my  father, 
A  word  to  my  mother  to  tell." 
289 


JAPAN 

The  maiden  answered,  *'A  casket 
I  give  into  thine  hand; 
And  if  that  thou  hopest  truly 
To  come  back  to  the  Evergreen  Land, 

"Then  open  it  not,  I  charge  thee! 
Open  it  not,  I  beseech!" 
So  the  boy  row'd  home  o'er  the  billows 
To  Suminoye's  beach. 

But  where  is  his  native  hamlet? 

Strange  hamlets  line  the  strand. 
Where  is  his  mother's  cottage? 

Strange  cots  rise  on  either  hand. 

"What,  in  three  short  years  since  I  left  it," 

He  cries  in  his  wonder  sore, 
"Has  the  home  of  my  childhood  vanished? 

Is  the  bamboo  fence  no  more? 

"Perchance  if  I  open  the  casket 
Which  the  maiden  gave  to  me, 
My  home  and  the  dear  old  village 
Will  come  back  as  they  used  to  be." 

And  he  lifts  the  lid,  and  there  rises 

A  fleecy,  silvery  cloud. 
That  floats  off  to  the  Evergreen  Coimtry:  ■ 

And  the  fisher-boy  cries  aloud; 

He  waves  the  sleeve  of  his  tunic, 
He  rolls  over  on  the  ground, 
290 


THE   FISHER-BOY  URASHIMA 

He  dances  with  fury  and  horror, 
Running  wildly  round  and  round. 

But  a  sudden  chill  comes  o'er  him 

That  bleaches  his  raven  hair, 
And  furrows  with  hoary  wrinkles 

The  form  erst  so  young  and  fair. 

His  breath  grows  fainter  and  fainter. 
Till  at  last  he  sinks  dead  on  the  shore; 

And  I  gaze  on  the  spot  where  his  cottage 
Once  stood,  but  now  stands  no  more. 

[Of  this  legend  of  Urashima,  Basil  Hall  Chamberlain  says: 
"Urashima's  tomb,  together  with  his  fishing-line,  the  casket 
given  him  by  the  maiden,  and  two  stones  said  to  be  precious, 
are  still  shown  at  one  of  the  temples  in  Kanagaha  near  Yoko- 
hama; and  by  most  of  even  the  educated  Japanese,  the  story, 
thus  historically  and  topographically  certified,  is  accepted  as 
literally  true."  According  to  the  official  annals,  the  boy  was 
absent  from  477  a.d.  to  825  a.d. 

The  Editor.] 


SOCIAL  LIFE  IN  KIOTO 

BY   WILLIAM  ELLIOT   GRIFFIS 

Social  life  in  Kioto  was  the  standard  for  that  in  good 
society  everywhere  throughout  the  empire.  Etiquette 
was  cultivated  with  almost  painful  earnestness,  and  the 
laws  about  costume  were  equally  rigid.  Tea  was  intro- 
duced into  Japan  by  a  Buddhist  priest  in  the  year  805, 
and  soon  became  a  common  drink.  The  oldest  tea 
plantations  and  the  most  luscious  leaves  are  at  Uji, 
near  Kioto.  The  preparation  and  serving  of  the  bever- 
age were  matters  upon  which  much  attention  was  be- 
stowed. The  making  of  cups,  dishes,  and  all  facilities  for 
drinking  was  greatly  stimulated  by  the  use  of  the  hot 
drink,  and  when  the  potter's  wheel  was  brought  over 
from  Corea  the  ceramic  art  entered  upon  a  new  era  of 
development. 

Flowers  and  gardens  were  much  enjoyed,  and  visits 
of  ceremony  were  many  and  prolonged.  The  invention 
of  the  fan  was  not  at  first  thought  to  be  an  aid  to  good 
manners,  but  it  soon  won  its  way  to  favor.  As  early  as 
the  seventh  century  it  came  into  use  for  personal  com- 
fort. In  course  of  time  the  fan  developed  into  many  va- 
rieties. The  kuge,  or  court  nobles,  had  one  kind,  and  the 
court  ladies,  with  their  long  hair  sweeping  down  their 
back  to  their  feet  and  arrayed  in  white  and  crimson  silk, 
had  another.  In  art,  we  see  that  the  Dragon  Queen  of 
the  Underworld  holds  a  flat  fan  with  double  wings. 
The  long-nosed  King  of  the  Tengus,  or  mountain  sprites, 
who  is  said  to  have  taught  Yoshitsune  his  wisdom  and 

292 


SOCIAL  LIFE   IN   KIOTO 

secrets  of  power,  holds  a  fan  exactly  like  the  old  pulpit 
feather  fans  which  it  once  was  thought  proper  for  clergy- 
men to  make  use  of.  The  judges  at  wrestHng  matches 
flourish  a  peculiar  sort,  while  in  war  the  wight  who  re- 
ceived a  thwack  over  the  noddle  with  the  huge  iron-boned 
fan  might  He  in  gore.  The  firemen  of  Kioto,  and  the 
men  in  the  procession  in  honor  of  the  Sun  Goddess  at 
Ise,  carry  fans  that  would  cool  the  face  of  a  giant. 

The  earHest  fans  were  all  of  the  flat  kind,  but  in  the 
seventh  century  it  is  said  that  a  man  of  Tamba,  seeing 
that  bats  could  fold  their  wings,  imagined  that  the  mo- 
tion and  effect  could  be  imitated.  Accordingly  he  made 
the  ogi,  or  fan  that  opens  and  shuts.  This  was  a  great 
advantage,  securing  economy  in  space  and  ease  of  use. 
Another  story  declares  that  when  the  widow  of  a  young 
Taira  noble,  slain  in  the  civil  wars,  retired  to  a  temple  to 
hide  her  grief,  she  cured  the  abbot  of  a  fever  by  fanning 
him.  Folding  a  piece  of  paper  in  plaits  and  then  opening 
it  out,  muttering  incantations  the  while,  the  lady  brought 
great  prosperity  to  the  temple,  for  thereafter  the  priests 
excelled  in  making  folding  fans.  From  the  sale  of  these 
novelties  a  steady  revenue  flowed  into  the  temple.  In 
time  the  name  of  this  temple  was  adopted  by  fan-makers 
all  over  the  country.  As  a  shelter  of  the  face  or  bare  head 
from  the  sun,  —  for  hats  and  bonnets  were  not  fashion- 
able in  Old  Japan,  —  for  use  as  trays  or  salvers  to  hand 
flowers,  letters,  or  presents  to  friends  or  to  one's  master, 
as  thoughtful  defenses  against  one's  breath  while  talk- 
ing to  superiors,  and  for  a  thousand  polite  uses,  to  say 
nothing  of  its  value  as  an  article  of  dress,  the  folding  fan 
is  a  distinctly  Japanese  gift  to  civihzation .  It  had  many 
centuries  of  history  and  honor  in  Japan  before  the  Chi- 

293 


JAPAN 

nese  borrowed  the  invention.  In  the  caste  of  fashion  the 
flat  fan,  which  too  often  sank  to  the  level  of  a  dustpan, 
grain- winnower,  or  fire-blower,  is  in  the  lowest  grade. 

The  chief  food,  as  well  as  the  ceremonial  drink,  came 
from  rice.  This  grain  was  imported  from  Corea,  and  very 
early  became  the  standard  article  of  diet  among  the  up- 
per classes.  The  Japanese  have  never  yet  learned  to 
like  bread,  nor  is  rice  usually  the  food  of  the  poorer 
people.  The  best  rice  is  raised  in  Higo.  It  is  cooked, 
served,  and  flavored  in  a  great  variety  of  ways,  and 
many  extracts  and  preparations,  such  as  gluten,  mochi, 
or  pastry  flour,  and  alcohol,  are  made  from  it.  The 
making  of  sake,  by  which  we  mean  beer,  wine,  or  brandy 
made  from  rice,  is  as  old  as  the  first  commerce  with  Corea . 
It  was  the  favorite  drink  of  Japanese  men  and  gods. 
The  festivals  in  celebration  of  the  planting,  reaping,  and 
offering  of  rice  in  the  sheaf,  or  hulled  and  cleaned,  and 
of  the  fermentation  or  presentation  of  the  liquor  to  the 
gods,  form  a  notable  feature  in  the  Shinto  religion. 

This  sake  or  brewed  rice  was  the  drink  enjoyed  at 
feasts,  poetry  parties,  picnics,  and  evening  gatherings. 
Like  tea,  it  was  heated  and  drunk  when  hot.  Besides 
the  pleasures  of  music,  poetry,  and  literature,  cards, 
checkers,  games  of  skill  and  chance,  of  many  kinds,  even 
to  the  sniffing  of  perfximes,  helped  the  hours  of  leisure  to 
pass  pleasantly. 

Outdoor  sports  were  also  diligently  cultivated  by  these 
elegantly  dressed  lords  and  ladies  of  the  capital.  The 
ladies  amused  themselves  by  catching  fireflies  and  va- 
rious brilliantly  colored  or  singing  insects,  by  feeding  the 
goldfish  in  the  garden  ponds,  or  viewing  the  moon  and 
the  landscape.   The  delights  of  the  young  men  were  in 

294 


SOCIAL  LIFE   IN  KIOTO 

horsemanship,  archery,  foot-ball,  and  falconry.  The 
art  of  training  falcons  to  hunt  and  kill  the  smaller  or 
defenseless  birds  was  copied  from  Corea,  and  has  been 
practiced  in  Japan  somewhat  over  a  thousand  years. 
Cockfights,  dog-matches,  and  fishing  by  means  of  cor- 
morants were  also  common.  A  method  of  racing  and 
shooting  from  horseback  at  dogs,  with  blunt  arrows, 
was  cultivated  for  the  sake  of  skill  in  riding.  Polo  is  said 
to  have  come  from  Persia  into  China  and  thence  to  Japan, 
where  it  is  called  ball-striking,  or  da-kiu.  A  polo  outfit 
with  elegant  costume  and  the  liveliest  of  ponies  was 
costly,  so  that  polo,  like  hawking,  was  always  an  aristo- 
cratic game.  The  Warrior's  Dance  had  been  described  as 
a  "giant  quadrille  in  armor."  The  more  robust  and  excit- 
ing exercise  of  hunting  the  boar,  deer,  bear,  and  other 
wild  animals  was  often  indulged  in  by  the  military  men 
in  time  of  peace,  in  order  to  keep  up  their  vigor  and  dis- 
cipline. In  hunting,  the  bold  riders  and  footmen  could 
have  something  like  the  excitement  of  war  with  only  a 
small  amount  of  its  danger. 

This  curious  social  life  in  old  Kioto  is  quite  fully  shown 
in  Japanese  art,  in  books  and  pictures,  and  the  theater, 
and  is  a  favorite  subject  for  the  poets,  novelists,  and  ar- 
tists. On  fans,  paper  napkins,  lacquer  ware,  carved 
ivories,  bronzes,  sword-hilts,  and  all  the  rich  and  strange 
art- works  of  Old  Japan,  this  court  life  can  be  pleasantly 
studied.  It  was  a  state  of  things  which  existed  before 
feudalism  came  in  completely  to  alter  the  face  of  the 
mikado's  empire,  and  before  Chinese  learning,  pedantry, 
and  literary  composition  cramped  the  native  genius. 
He  who  understands  the  method  and  meaning  of  the 
artist  has  a  great  fund  of  enjoyment.   The  painter  and 

295 


JAPAN 

carver,  or  even  the  decorator  on  a  five-cent  fan,  tells  his 
tale  well,  and  one  who  knows  Japanese  life  from  its  an- 
cient and  mediaeval  literature,  as  well  as  by  modern 
travel  and  study,  needs  no  interpreter. 

Best  of  all,  however,  life  in  the  mikado's  capital  is  re- 
flected in  the  classic  fiction  written  in  the  Middle  Ages, 
and  mostly  by  ladies  of  the  court.  From  a  literary  point 
of  view,  the  women  of  Japan  did  more  to  preserve  and 
develop  their  native  language  than  the  men.  The  mas- 
culine scholars  used  Chinese,  and  composed  their  books 
in  what  was  as  Latin  to  the  mass  of  the  people.  The 
lady  writers  employed  their  own  beautiful  speech,  and 
such  famous  monogatari,  or  novels,  as  the  Sagoromo, 
Genji,  Ise,  and  others,  besides  hundreds  of  volumes  of 
poetry  in  pure  classical  Japanese,  are  from  their  pens.  A 
number  of  famous  novels,  the  oldest  of  which  is  the  Old 
Bamboo-Cutter's  Story,  which  dates  from  the  tenth 
century,  picture  the  life  and  work,  the  loves  and  adven- 
tures, of  the  lads  and  lasses,  priests  and  warriors,  lords 
and  ladies,  in  this  extremely  refined,  highly  polished,  and 
very  licentious  society  of  Kioto  a  thousand  years  or  less 
ago.  Those  who  would  study  it  carefully  must  read  Mr. 
Chamberlain's  "Classical  Poetry  of  the  Japanese,"  or 
Mr.  Suyematsu's  "Genji  Monogatari."  Miss  Harris's 
"Log  of  a  Japanese  Journey"  is  a  rendering  in  English 
of  the  Tosa  Niki,  or  diary  of  the  voyage  from  Tosa  to 
Kioto  of  the  famous  poet  Tsurayuki. 

The  Tosa  Niki  book  is  a  great  favorite  with  native 
students  on  account  of  its  beauty  of  style.  Tsurayuki 
was  appointed  by  the  mikado  to  be  governor  of  Tosa. 
After  serving  four  years  he  starts  homeward  for  Kioto 
by  ship  and  carriage,  or  rather  by  junk  and  bullock-cart. 

296 


SOCIAL  LIFE   IN   KIOTO 

He  left  Tosa  in  January,  a.d.  935,  and  the  diary  of  his 
voyage  is  written  in  woman's  style  of  writing,  that  is, 
in  pure  Japanese.  He  calls  himself  "a  certain  person," 
and  is  a  jolly  good-natured  fellow;  always,  when  oppor- 
tunity serves,  writing  poetry  and  enjoying  the  sake-cup. 
As  Japanese  junks  usually  wait  for  the  wind,  sail  only 
in  the  daytime,  or  at  least  not  all  night,  and  keep  out  of 
storms  if  possible,  he  stopped  at  many  places,  where 
official  friends  called  upon  him,  and  presents  were  ex- 
changed, cups  of  sake  drunk,  and  poems  written.  Most 
of  the  presents  had  verses  tied  to  them,  but  the  pheasants 
had  a  flowering  branch  of  the  plum  tree  attached.  We 
translate  a  stanza :  — 

"As  o'er  the  waves  we  urge, 
While  roars  the  whit'ning  surge, 
Louder  shall  rise  my  cry 
That  left  behind  am  I,  — " 

whereat  the  traveler  notes  in  his  diary  that  the  poet 
must  have  a  pretty  loud  voice.  He  tells  of  the  storks 
and  the  fir  trees  which  have  been  comrades  for  a  thou- 
sand years;  how  the  passengers  went  ashore  at  one  place 
to  take  a  hot  bath;  how  a  sailor  caught  a  tai,  or  splendid 
red  fish,  for  his  dinner;  jests  at  the  bush  of  the  man  in 
the  moon;  throws  his  metal  mirror  into  the  sea  to  quiet 
the  storm  raised  by  the  god  of  Sumi-Yoshi;  escapes  the 
pirates,  with  whom  he  had  as  governor  dealt  very  se- 
verely; and  completes  his  sea  journey,  not  at  Osaka 
which  did  not  then  exist,  but  at  Yamazaki,  near  the 
capital.  There  he  waits  for  a  bullock-car  to  come 
from  Kioto,  which  he  must  of  course  enter  in  state  as 
becomes  a  kuge,  or  noble. 
This  charming  little  book  shows  first  that  human 

297 


JAPAN 

nature  in  Japan  a  thousand  years  ago  was  wonderfully 
like  that  of  to-day  in  Japan,  or  anywhere  else;  that  good 
style  will  make  a  book  live  as  long  as  the  rocks ;  and  that 
in  those  days  the  spoken  idiom  differed  very  little  from 
the  language  employed  in  literature.  Brave  Tsurayuki ! 
He  wrote  in  "woman's  style  "  really  because  he  loved  his 
native  tongue,  and  did  not  want  to  see  it  overlaid  by 
the  Chinese.  In  our  days  not  a  few  Japanese  are  heartily 
ashamed  that  their  own  beautiful  language  has  not  been 
more  developed  by  scholars.  So  much  dependence  on 
China  has  paralyzed  originality  and  weakened  intellect. 
After  fifteen  hundred  years,  the  patriotic  Japanese  feels 
ashamed  that  the  literary  and  intellectual  product  of 
his  country  is  so  small,  and  that  the  best  work  in  his 
native  tongue  has  been  done  by  women.  No  wonder  he 
does  not  always  take  kindly  to  the  fulsome  flatteries 
of  Europeans  who  tell  him  what  a  wonderful  fellow 
he  is,  and  how  much  superior  Japanese  civilization  is 
to  that  of  Europe.  How  he  really  feels  about  the 
matter  is  shown  in  his  eager  desire,  on  the  one  hand,  to 
absorb  all  the  ideas  and  adopt  all  the  inventions  of  the 
foreigners,  and,  on  the  other,  to  bridge  the  gulf  between 
the  spoken  and  the  written  forms  of  his  own  vernacular. 


THE  STORY  OF  YOSHITSUNE 

BY  YEI  THEODORA  OZAKI 

In  Old  Japan  more  than  seven  hundred  years  ago  a  fierce 
war  was  raging  between  the  two  great  clans,  the  Taira 
and  the  Minamoto,  also  called  the  Heike  and  the  Genji. 
These  two  famous  clans  were  always  contesting  together 
for  political  power  and  military  supremacy,  and  the 
country  was  torn  in  two  with  the  many  bitter  battles 
that  were  fought.  Indeed,  it  may  be  said  that  the  his- 
tory of  Japan  for  many  years  was  the  history  of  these 
two  mighty  martial  families;  sometimes  the  Minamoto 
and  sometimes  the  Taira  gaining  the  victory,  or  being 
beaten,  as  the  case  might  be ;  but  their  swords  knew  no 
rest  for  a  period  of  many  years.  At  last  a  strong  and 
valiant  general  arose  in  the  House  of  Minamoto.  His 
name  was  Yoshitomo.  At  this  time  there  were  two  as- 
pirants for  the  imperial  throne  and  civil  war  was  raging 
in  the  capital.  One  imperial  candidate  was  supported 
by  the  Taira,  the  other  by  the  Minamoto.  Yoshitomo, 
though  a  Minamoto,  sided  at  first  with  the  Taira  against 
the  reigning  emperor;  but  when  he  saw  how  cruel  and 
relentless  their  chief,  Kiyomori,  was,  he  turned  against 
him  and  called  all  his  followers  to  rally  round  the  Mina- 
moto standard  and  fight  to  put  down  the  Taira. 

But  fate  was  against  the  gallant  and  doughty  warrior 
Yoshitomo,  and  he  suffered  a  crushing  defeat  at  the 
hands  of  the  Taira.  He  and  his  men,  while  fleeing  from 
the  vigilance  of  their  enemies,  were  overtaken  within 

299 


JAPAN 

the  city  gates,  and  ruthlessly  slaughtered  by  Kiyomori 
and  his  soldiers. 

Yoshitomo  left  behind  him  his  beautiful  young  wife, 
Tokiwa  Gozen,  and  eight  children,  to  mourn  his  un- 
timely death.  Five  of  the  elder  children  were  by  a  first 
wife.  The  third  of  these  became  Yoritomo,  the  great 
first  Shogun  of  Japan,  while  the  eighth  and  youngest 
child  was  Ushiwaka,  about  whom  this  story  is  written. 
Ushiwaka  and  the  hero  of  Yoshitsune  were  one  and 
the  same  person.  Ushiwaka  (Young  Ox  —  he  was  so 
called  because  of  his  wonderful  strength)  was  his  name 
as  a  boy,  and  Yoshitsune  was  the  name  he  took  when  he 
became  of  age. 

At  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  Ushiwaka  was  a 
babe  in  the  arms  of  his  mother,  Tokiwa  Gozen,  but  his 
tender  age  would  not  have  saved  his  life  had  he  been 
found  by  his  father's  enemies. 

After  the  defeat  they  had  inflicted  on  the  rival  clan, 
the  Taira  were  all-powerful  for  a  time.  The  Minamoto 
clan  were  in  dire  straits  and  in  danger  of  being  exter- 
minated now,  for  so  fierce  was  Kiyomori's  hatred  against 
his  enemies  that  when  a  Minamoto  fell  into  his  cruel 
hands  he  immediately  put  the  captive  to  death. 

Realizing  the  great  peril  of  the  situation,  Tokiwa 
Gozen,  the  widow  of  Yoshitomo,  full  of  fear  and  anxiety 
for  the  safety  of  her  little  ones,  quietly  hid  herself  in 
the  country,  taking  with  her  Ushiwaka  and  her  two  other 
children.  So  successful  was  Tokiwa  Gozen  in  conceaUng 
her  hiding-place  that,  though  the  Taira  clan  either  killed 
or  banished  to  a  far-away  island  all  the  elder  sons,  rela- 
tionSj  and  partisans  of  the  Minamoto  chief,  they  could 
not  discover  the  whereabouts  of  the  mother  and  her 

300 


THE   STORY  OF   YOSHITSUNE 

children,  notwithstanding  the  strict  search  Kiyomori 
had  made. 

Determined  to  have  his  will,  and  angry  at  being 
thwarted  by  a  woman,  Kiyomori  at  last  hit  on  a  plan 
which  he  felt  sure  would  not  fail  to  draw  the  wife  of 
Yoshitomo  from  her  hiding-place.  He  gave  orders  that 
Sekiya,  the  mother  of  the  fair  Tokiwa,  should  be  seized 
and  brought  before  him.  He  told  her  sternly  that  if  she 
would  reveal  her  daughter's  hiding-place  she  should  be 
well  treated,  but  if  she  refused  to  do  as  she  was  told  she 
would  be  tortured  and  put  to  death.  When  the  old  lady 
declared  that  she  did  not  know  where  Tokiwa  was,  as 
in  truth  she  did  not,  Kiyomori  thrust  her  into  prison  and 
had  her  treated  cruelly  day  after  day. 

Now  the  reason  why  Kiyomori  was  so  set  on  finding 
Tokiwa  and  her  sons  was  that  whil?  Yoshitomo's  heirs 
lived  he  and  his  family  could  know  no  safety,  for  the 
strongest  moral  law  in  every  Japanese  heart  was  the 
old  command,  "A  man  may  not  live  under  the  same 
heaven  with  the  murderer  of  his  father,"  and  the  Japan- 
ese warrior  recked  nothing  of  life  or  death,  of  home  or 
love  in  obeying  this  —  as  he  deemed  —  supreme  com- 
mandment. Women  too  burned  with  the  same  zeal  in 
avenging  the  wrongs  of  their  fathers  and  husbands. 

Tokiwa  Gozen,  though  hiding  in  the  country,  heard 
of  what  had  befallen  her  mother,  and  great  was  her  sor- 
row and  distress.  She  sat  down  on  the  mats  and  moaned 
aloud:  "It  is  wrong  of  me  to  let  my  poor  innocent 
mother  suffer  to  save  myself  and  my  children,  but  if  I 
give  myself  up,  Kiyomori  will  surely  take  my  lord's  sons 
and  kill  them.  —  What  shall  I  do?  Oh,  what  shall  I  do?  " 

Poor  Tokiwa!   Her  heart  was  torn  between  her  love 

301 


JAPAN 

for  her  mother  and  her  love  for  her  children.  Her  anxiety 
and  distraction  were  pitiful  to  see.  Finally  she  decided 
that  it  was  impossible  for  her  to  remain  still  and  silent 
under  the  circumstances;  she  could  not  endure  the 
thought  that  her  mother  was  suffering  persecution  while 
she  had  the  power  of  preventing  it;  so  holding  the  in- 
fant Ushiwaka  in  her  bosom  under  her  kimono,  she  took 
his  two  elder  brothers  (one  seven  and  the  other  five  years 
of  age)  by  the  hand  and  started  for  the  capital. 

There  were  no  trains  in  those  days,  and  all  traveling 
by  ordinary  people  had  to  be  done  on  foot.  Daimios 
and  great  and  important  personages  were  carried  in 
palanquins,  and  they  only  could  travel  in  comfort  and 
in  state.  Tokiwa  could  not  hope  to  meet  with  kindness 
or  hospitality  on  the  way,  for  she  was  a  Minamoto,  and 
the  Taira  being  all-powerful  it  was  death  to  any  one 
to  harbor  a  Minamoto  fugitive.  So  the  obstacles  that 
beset  Tokiwa  were  great;  but  she  was  a  samurai  woman, 
and  she  quailed  not  at  duty,  however  hard  or  stern  that 
duty  was.  The  greater  the  difficulties,  the  higher  her 
courage  rose  to  meet  them.  At  last  she  set  out  on  her 
momentous  and  celebrated  journey. 

It  was  winter-time  and  snow  lay  on  the  ground,  and 
the  wind  blew  piercingly  cold  and  the  roads  were  bad. 
What  Tokiwa,  a  delicately  nurtured  woman,  suffered 
from  cold  and  fatigue,  from  loneliness  and  fear,  from 
anxiety  for  her  little  children,  from  dread  lest  she  should 
reach  the  capital  too  late  to  save  her  old  mother,  who 
might  die  under  the  cruel  treatment  to  which  she  was 
being  subjected,  or  be  put  to  death  by  Kiyomori  in  his 
wrath,  or  finally  lest  she  herself  should  be  seized  by  the 
Taira,  and  her  filial  plan  be  frustrated  before  she  could 

302 


THE   STORY   OF   YOSHITSUNE 

reach  the  capital  —  all  this  must  have  been  greater 
than  any  words  can  tell. 

Sometimes  poor  distressed  Tokiwa  sat  down  by  the 
wayside  to  hush  the  wailing  babe  she  carried  in  her 
bosom,  or  to  rest  the  two  little  boys,  who,  tired  and  faint 
and  famished,  clung  to  her  robes,  crying  for  their  usual 
rice.  On  and  on  she  went,  soothing  and  consoling  them 
as  best  she  could,  till  at  last  she  reached  Kyoto,  weary, 
footsore,  and  almost  heart-broken.  But  though  she  was 
well-nigh  overcome  with  physical  exhaustion,  yet  her 
purpose  never  flagged.  She  went  at  once  to  the  enemy's 
camp  and  asked  to  be  admitted  to  the  presence  of  Gen- 
eral Kiyomori. 

When  she  was  shown  into  the  dread  man's  presence, 
she  prostrated  herself  at  his  feet  and  said  that  she  had 
come  to  give  herself  up  and  to  release  her  mother. 

"I  am  Tokiwa  —  the  widow  of  Yoshitomo.  I  have 
come  with  my  three  children  to  beseech  you  to  spare  my 
mother's  life  and  to  set  her  free.  My  poor  old  mother 
has  done  nothing  wrong.  I  am  guilty  of  hiding  myself 
and  the  little  ones,  yet  I  pray  humbly  for  your  august 
forgiveness." 

She  pleaded  in  such  an  agonizing  way  that  Kiyomori, 
the  Tairi  chieftain,  was  struck  with  admiration  for  her 
filial  piety,  a  virtue  more  highly  esteemed  than  any  other 
in  Japan.  He  felt  sincerely  sorry  for  Tokiwa  in  her  woe, 
and  her  beauty  and  her  tears  melted  his  hard  heart,  and 
he  promised  her  that  if  she  would  become  his  wife  he 
would  spare  not  only  her  mother's  life,  but  her  three 
children  also. 

For  the  sake  of  saving  her  children's  lives  the  sad- 
hearted  woman  consented  to  Kiyomori's  proposal.    It 

303 


JAPAN 

must  have  been  terrible  to  her  to  wed  with  her  lord's 
enemy,  the  very  man  who  had  caused  his  death;  but 
the  thought  that  by  so  doing  she  saved  the  lives  of  his 
sons,  who  would  one  day  surely  arise  to  avenge  their 
father's  cruel  death,  must  have  been  her  consolation 
and  her  recompense  for  the  sacrifice. 

Kiyomori  showed  himself  kinder  to  Tokiwa  than  he 
had  ever  shown  himself  to  any  one,  for  he  allowed  her 
to  keep  the  babe  Ushiwaka  by  her  side.  The  two  elder 
boys  he  sent  to  a  temple  to  be  trained  as  acolytes  under 
the  tutelage  of  priests. 

By  placing  them  out  of  the  world  in  the  seclusion  of 
priesthood,  Kiyomori  felt  that  he  would  have  little  to 
fear  from  them  when  they  attained  manhood.  How  ter- 
ribly and  bitterly  he  was  mistaken  we  learn  from  history, 
for  two  of  Yoshitomo's  sons,  banished  though  they  had 
been  for  years  and  years,  arose  like  a  rushing,  mighty 
whirlwind  from  the  obscurity  of  the  monastery  to  avenge 
their  father,  and  they  wiped  the  Taira  from  ofif  the  face 
of  the  earth. 

Time  passed  by,  and  when  the  little  babe  Ushiwaka 
at  last  reached  the  age  of  seven,  Kiyomori  likewise  took 
him  from  his  mother  and  sent  him  to  the  priests.  The 
sorrow  of  Tokiwa,  bereft  of  the  last  child  of  her  beloved 
lord  Yoshitomo,  can  better  be  imagined  than  described. 
But  in  her  golden  captivity  even  Kiyomori  had  not  been 
able  to  deprive  her  of  one  iota  of  the  incomparable  power 
of  motherhood,  that  of  influencing  the  life  of  her  child 
to  the  end  of  his  days.  As  the  little  fellow  had  lain  in  her 
arms  night  and  day,  as  she  crooned  him  to  sleep  and 
taught  him  to  walk,  she  forever  whispered  the  name  of 
Minamoto  Yoshitomo  in  his  ear. 

304 


THE   STORY   OF   YOSHITSUNE 

At  last  one  day  her  patience  was  rewarded  and  Ushi- 
waka  lisped  his  father's  name  correctly.  Then  Tokiwa 
clasped  him  proudly  to  her  breast,  and  wept  tears  of 
thankfulness  and  joy  and  of  sorrowing  remembrance, 
for  she  never  could  even  for  a  day  banish  Yoshitomo 
from  her  mind.  As  Ushiwaka  grew  older  and  could  under- 
stand better  what  she  said,  Tokiwa  would  daily  whisper, 
"Remember  thy  father,  Minamoto  Yoshitomo!  Grow 
strong  and  avenge  his  death,  for  he  died  at  the  hands  of 
the  Taira!"  And  day  by  day  she  told  him  stories  of  his 
great  and  good  father  —  of  his  martial  prowess  in  battle, 
and  of  his  great  strength  and  wonderful  wielding  of  the 
sword,  and  she  bade  her  little  son  remember  and  be  like 
his  father.  And  the  mother's  words  and  tears,  sown  in 
long  years  of  patience  and  bitter  endurance,  bore  fruit 
beyond  all  she  had  ever  hoped  or  dreamed. 

So  Ushiwaka  was  taken  from  his  mother  at  the  age 
of  seven,  and  was  sent  to  the  Tokobo  Monastery,  at 
Kuramayama,  to  be  trained  as  a  monk.  Even  at  that 
early  age  he  showed  great  intelligence,  read  the  Sacred 
Books  with  avidity,  and  surprised  the  priests  by  his 
diligence  and  quickness  of  memory.  He  was  naturally 
a  very  high-spirited  youth,  and  could  brook  no  control 
and  hated  to  yield  to  others  in  anything  whatsoever.  As 
the  years  passed  by  and  he  grew  older,  he  came  to  hear 
from  his  teachers  and  school  friends  of  how  his  father 
Yoshitomo  and  his  clan  the  Minamoto  had  been  over- 
thrown by  the  Taira,  and  this  filled  him  with  such  in- 
tense sorrow  and  bitterness  that  sleeping  or  waking  he 
could  never  banish  the  subject  from  his  mind.  As  he  lis- 
tened daily  to  these  things  the  words  of  his  mother, 
which  she  had  whispered  in  his  ear  as  a  child,  now  came 

305 


JAPAN 

throbbing  back  to  his  mind,  and  he  understood  their 
full  meaning  for  the  first  time.  In  the  lonely  nights  he 
felt  again  her  hot  tears  falling  on  his  face,  and  heard 
her  repeat  as  clearly  as  a  bell  in  the  silence  of  the  dark- 
ness: "Remember  thy  father,  Minamoto  Yoshitomo! 
Avenge  his  death,  for  he  died  at  the  hands  of  the  Taira!" 

At  last  one  night  the  lad  dreamed  that  his  mother, 
beautiful  and  sad  as  he  remembered  her  in  the  days  of 
his  childhood,  came  to  his  bedside  and  said  to  him,  while 
the  tears  streamed  down  her  face:  "Avenge  thy  father, 
Yoshitomo!  Unless  thou  remember  my  last  words,  I 
cannot  rest  in  my  grave.  I  am  dying,  Ushiwaka,  re- 
member!" 

And  Ushiwaka  awoke  as  he  cried  aloud  in  his  agony: 
"I  will!  Honorable  mother,  I  will!" 

From  that  night  his  heart  burned  within  him  and  the 
fire  and  love  of  clan-race  stirred  his  soul.  Continual 
brooding  over  the  wrongs  of  his  clan  generated  in  his 
heart  a  fierce  desire  for  revenge,  and  he  finally  resolved 
to  abandon  the  priesthood,  become  a  great  general  like 
his  father,  and  punish  the  Taira.  And  as  his  ambition 
was  fired  and  exalted  and  his  mind  thrilled  back  to  the 
days  when  his  poor  unhappy  mother  Tokiwa  prayed  and 
wept  over  him,  daily  whispering  in  his  ear  the  name  of 
his  father,  his  will  grew  to  purpose  strong.  Tokiwa  had 
not  suffered  in  vain.  From  this  time  on,  Ushiwaka  bided 
his  time  every  night  till  all  in  the  temple  were  fast  asleep. 
When  he  heard  the  priests  snoring,  and  knew  himself  safe 
from  observation,  he  would  steal  out  from  the  temple, 
and,  making  his  way  down  the  hillside  into  the  valley, 
he  would  draw  his  wooden  sword  and  practice  fencing 
by  himself,  and,  striking  the  trees  and  the  stones,  imagine 

306 


THE   STORY  OF  YOSHITSUNE 

that  they  were  his  Taira  foes.  As  he  worked  in  this  way 
night  after  night,  he  felt  his  muscles  grow  strong,  and 
this  practice  taught  him  how  to  wield  his  sword  with 
skill. 

One  night  as  usual  Ushiwaka  had  gone  out  to  the 
valley  and  was  dihgently  brandishing  about  his  wooden 
sword.  His  mind  fully  bent  upon  his  self-taught  lesson, 
he  was  marching  up  and  down,  chanting  snatches  of 
war-songs  and  striking  the  trees  and  the  rocks,  when 
suddenly  a  great  cloud  spread  over  the  heavens,  the  rain 
fell,  the  thunder  roared,  and  the  lightning  flashed,  and  a 
great  noise  went  through  the  valley,  as  if  all  the  trees 
were  being  torn  up  by  the  roots  and  their  trunks  were 
spHtting. 

While  Ushiwaka  wondered  what  this  could  mean,  a 
great  giant  over  ten  feet  in  height  stood  before  him.  He 
had  large  round  glaring  eyes  that  glinted  like  metal  mir- 
rors; his  nose  was  bright  red,  and  it  must  have  been  about 
a  foot  long ;  his  hands  were  like  the  claws  of  a  bird,  and 
to  each  there  were  only  two  fingers.  The  feathers  of  long 
wings  at  each  side  peeped  from  under  the  creature's 
robes,  and  he  looked  like  a  gigantic  goblin.  Fearful  in- 
deed was  this  apparition.  But  Ushiwaka  was  a  brave 
and  spirited  youth  and  the  son  of  a  soldier,  and  he  was 
not  to  be  daunted  by  anything.  Without  moving  a 
muscle  of  his  face  he  gripped  his  sword  more  tightly 
and  simply  asked:  "Who  are  you,  sirrah?" 

The  goblin  laughed  aloud  and  said:  "I  am  the  King 
of  the  Tengu,^  the  elves  of  the  mountains,  and  I  have 
made  this  valley  my  home  for  many  a  long  year.  I  have 

*  The  Tengu  are  strange  creatures  with  very  long  noses;  sometimes 
they  have  the  head  of  a  hawk  and  the  body  of  a  man. 


JAPAN 

admired  your  perseverance  in  coming  to  this  place  night 
after  night  for  the  purpose  of  practicing  fencing  all  by 
yourself,  and  I  have  come  to  meet  you,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  teaching  you  all  I  know  of  the  art  of  the  sword." 

Ushiwaka  was  delighted  when  he  heard  this,  for  the 
Tengu  have  supernatural  powers,  and  fortunate,  in- 
deed, are  those  whom  they  favor.  He  thanked  the  giant 
elf  and  expressed  his  readiness  to  begin  at  once.  He  then 
whirled  up  his  sword  and  began  to  attack  the  Tengu,  but 
the  elf  shifted  his  position  with  the  quickness  of  lightning, 
and  taking  from  his  belt  a  fan  made  of  seven  feathers 
parried  the  showering  blows  right  and  left  so  cleverly 
that  the  young  knight's  interest  became  thoroughly 
aroused.  Every  night  he  came  out  for  the  lesson.  He 
never  missed  once,  summer  or  winter,  and  in  this  way 
he  learned  all  the  secrets  of  the  art  which  the  Tengu 
could  teach  him. 

The  Tengu  was  a  great  master  and  Ushiwaka  an  apt 
pupil.  He  became  so  proficient  in  fencing  that  he  could 
overcome  ten  or  twenty  small  Tengu  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  and  he  acquired  extraordinary  skill  and  dex- 
terity in  the  use  of  the  sword;  and  the  Tengu  also  im- 
parted to  him  the  wonderful  adroitness  and  agility  which 
made  him  so  famous  in  after-life. 

Now  Ushiwaka  was  about  fifteen  years  old,  a  comely 
youth,  and  tall  for  his  age.  At  this  time  there  lived  on 
Mount  Hiei,  just  outside  the  capital,  a  wild  bonze 
named  Musashi  Bo  Benkei,  who  was  such  a  lawless  and 
turbulent  fellow  that  he  had  become  notorious  for  his 
deeds  of  violence.  The  city  rang  with  the  stories  of  his 
misdeeds,  and  so  well  known  had  he  become  that  people 
could  not  hear  his  name  without  fear  and  trembling. 

308 


THE   STORY  OF   YOSHITSUNE 

Benkei  suddenly  made  up  his  mind  that  it  would  be 
good  sport  to  steal  a  thousand  swords  from  various 
knights. 

No  sooner  did  the  wild  idea  enter  his  head  than  he 
began  to  put  it  into  practice.  Every  night  he  sauntered 
forth  to  the  Go  jo  Bridge  of  Kyoto,  and  when  a  knight 
or  any  man  carrying  a  sword  passed  by,  Benkei  would 
snatch  the  weapon  from  his  girdle.  If  the  owners  yielded 
up  their  blades  quietly,  Benkei  allowed  them  to  pass  un- 
hurt, but  if  not,  he  would  strike  them  dead  with  a  single 
blow  of  the  huge  halberd  he  carried.  So  great  was  Ben- 
kei's  strength  that  he  always  overcame  his  victim,  — 
resistance  was  useless,  —  and  night  by  night  one  and 
sometimes  two  men  met  death  at  his  hands  on  the 
Gojo  Bridge.  In  this  way  Benkei  gained  such  a  terrible 
reputation  that  everybody  far  and  near  feared  to  meet 
him,  and  after  dark  no  one  dared  to  pass  near  the  bridge 
he  was  known  to  haunt,  so  fearful  were  the  tales  told  of 
the  dreaded  robber  of  swords. 

At  last  this  story  reached  the  ears  of  Ushiwaka,  and 
he  said  to  himself:  "What  an  interesting  man  this  must 
be !  If  it  is  true  that  he  is  a  bonze,  he  must  be  a  strange 
one,  indeed;  but  as  he  only  robs  people  of  their  swords, 
he  cannot  be  a  common  highwayman.  If  I  could  make 
such  a  strong  man  a  retainer  of  mine,  he  would  be  of 
great  assistance  to  me  when  I  punish  my  enemies,  the 
Taira  clan.  Good!  To-night  I  will  go  to  the  Gojo  Bridge 
and  try  the  mettle  of  this  Benkei  1" 

Ushiwaka,  being  a  youth  of  great  courage,  had  no 
sooner  made  up  his  mind  to  meet  Benkei  than  he  pro- 
ceeded to  put  his  plan  into  execution.  He  started  out 
that  same  evening.  It  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  night, 

309 


JAPAN 

and  taking  with  him  his  favorite  flute  he  strolled  forth 
through  the  streets  of  the  sleeping  city  till  he  came  to 
the  Go  jo  Bridge.  Then  from  the  opposite  direction 
came  a  tall  figure  which  appeared  to  touch  the  clouds, 
so  gigantic  was  its  stature.  The  stranger  was  clad  in 
a  suit  of  coal-black  armor  and  carried  an  immense 
halberd. 

"This  must  be  the  sword-robber!  He  is,  indeed, 
strong!"  said  Ushiwaka  to  himself ,  but  he  was  not  in 
the  least  daunted,  and  went  on  playing  his  flute  quite 
calmly. 

Presently  the  armed  giant  halted  and  gazed  at  Ushi- 
waka, but  evidently  thought  him  a  mere  youth,  and  de- 
cided to  let  him  go  unmolested,  for  he  was  about  to  pass 
him  by  without  lifting  a  hand.  This  indifference  on  the 
part  of  Benkei  not  only  disappointed  but  angered  Ushi- 
waka. Having  waited  in  vain  for  the  stranger  to  offer 
violence,  our  hero  approached  Benkei,  and,  with  the 
intention  of  picking  a  quarrel,  suddenly  kicked  the 
latter's  halberd  out  of  his  hand. 

Benkei,  who  had  first  thought  to  spare  Ushiwaka  on 
account  of  his  youth,  became  very  angry  when  he  found 
himself  insulted  by  a  lad  to  whom  he  had  been  inten- 
tionally kind.  In  a  fury  he  exclaimed,  "Miserable 
stripling!"  and  raising  his  halberd  struck  sideways  at 
Ushiwaka,  thinking  to  slice  him  in  two  at  the  waist  and 
to  see  his  body  fall  asunder.  But  the  young  knight 
nimbly  avoided  the  blow  which  would  have  killed  him, 
and  springing  back  a  few  paces  he  flung  his  fan^  at 
Benkei's  head  and  uttered  a  loud  cry  of  defiance.   The 

*  The  fighter's  fan  was  always  made  of  metal  and  was  often  used  as  a 
weapon. 

310 


THE   STORY  OF   YOSHITSUNE 

fan  struck  Benkei  on  the  forehead  right  between  the 
eyes,  making  him  mad  with  pain.  In  a  transport  of  rage 
Benkei  aimed  a  fearful  blow  at  Ushiwaka,  as  if  he  were 
splitting  a  log  of  wood  with  an  axe.  This  time  Ushiwaka 
sprang  up  to  the  parapet  of  the  bridge,  clapped  his 
hands,  and  laughed  in  derision,  saying:  — 

"Here  I  am!  Don't  you  see?  Here  I  am!"  And 
Benkei  was  again  thwarted  thus. 

Benkei,  who  had  never  known  his  strokes  miss  before, 
had  now  failed  twice  in  catching  this  nimble  opponent. 
Frantic  with  chagrin  and  bafifled  rage,  he  now  rushed 
furiously  to  the  attack,  whirling  his  great  halberd  round 
in  all  directions  till  it  looked  like  a  water-wheel  in  motion, 
striking  wildly  and  blindly  at  Ushiwaka.  But  the  young 
knight  had  been  taught  tricks  innumerable  by  the  giant 
Tengu  of  Kuramayama,  and  he  had  profited  so  well  by 
his  lessons  that  the  King  Tengu  had  at  last  said  that 
even  he  could  teach  him  nothing  more,  and  now,  as  it 
may  well  be  imagined,  he  was  too  quick  for  the  heavy 
Benkei.  When  Benkei  struck  in  front,  Ushiwaka  was 
behind,  and  when  Benkei  aimed  a  blow  behind,  Ushi- 
waka darted  in  front.  Nimble  as  a  monkey  and  swift 
as  a  swallow,  Ushiwaka  avoided  all  the  blows  aimed 
at  him,  and,  finding  himself  outmatched,  even  the 
redoubtable  Benkei  grew  tired. 

Ushiwaka  saw  that  Benkei  was  played  out.  He  kept 
up  the  game  a  little  longer  and  then  changed  his  tac- 
tics. Seizing  his  opportunity,  he  knocked  Benkei's 
halberd  out  of  his  hand.  When  the  giant  stooped  to 
pick  his  weapon  up,  Ushiwaka  ran  behind  him  and  with 
a  quick  movement  tripped  him  up.  There  lay  the  big 
man  on  all  fours,  while  Ushiwaka  nimbly  strode  across 

3" 


JAPAN 

his  back  and  pressing  him  down  asked  him  how  he  liked 
this  kind  of  play. 

All  this  time  Benkei  had  wondered  at  the  courage  of 
the  youth  in  attacking  and  challenging  a  man  so  much 
larger  than  himself,  but  now  he  was  filled  with  amaze- 
ment at  Ushiwaka's  wonderful  strength  and  adroitness. 

"I  am,  indeed,  astonished  at  what  you  have  done," 
said  Benkei.  "Who  in  the  world  can  you  be?  I  have 
fought  with  many  men  on  this  bridge,  but  you  are  the 
first  of  my  antagonists  who  has  displayed  such  strength. 
Are  you  a  god  or  a  tengu?  You  certainly  cannot  be  an 
ordinary  human  being!" 

Ushiwaka  laughed  and  said:  "Are  you  afraid  for  the 
first  time,  then?" 

"I  am,"  answered  Benkei. 

"Will  you  from  henceforth  be  my  retainer?"  de- 
manded Ushiwaka. 

"I  will  in  very  truth  be  your  retainer,  but  may  I  know 
who  you  are?"  asked  Benkei  meekly. 

Ushiwaka  now  felt  sure  that  Benkei  was  in  earnest. 
He  therefore  allowed  him  to  get  up  from  the  ground,  and 
then  said:  "I  have  nothing  to  hide  from  you.  I  am  the 
youngest  son  of  Minamoto  Ycshitomo  and  my  name  is 
Ushiwaka." 

Benkei  started  with  surprise  when  he  heard  these 
words  and  said:  "What  is  this  I  hear?  Are  you  in  truth 
a  son  of  the  Lord  Yoshitomo  of  the  Minamoto  clan? 
That  is  the  reason  I  felt  from  the  first  moment  of  our 
encounter  that  your  deeds  were  not  those  of  a  common 
person.  No  wonder  that  I  thought  this!  I  am  only  too 
happy  to  become  the  retainer  of  such  a  distinguished  and 
spirited  young  knight.  I  will  follow  you  as  my  lord  and 

312 


THE   STORY   OF   YOSHITSUNE 

master  from  this  very  moment,  if  you  will  allow  me.  I 
can  wish  for  no  greater  honor." 

So  there  and  then,  on  the  Go  jo  Bridge  in  the  silver 
moonlight,  the  bonze  Benkei  vowed  to  be  the  true  and 
faithful  vassal  of  the  young  knight  Ushiwaka  and  to 
serve  him  loyally  till  death,  and  thus  was  the  compact 
between  lord  and  vassal  made.  From  that  time  on, 
Benkei  gave  up  his  wild  and  lawless  ways  and  devoted 
his  life  to  the  service  of  Ushiwaka,  who  was  highly 
pleased  at  having  won  such  a  strong  liegeman  to  his  side. 

Although  Ushiwaka  had  now  secured  Benkei,  it  was 
impossible  for  only  two  men,  however  strong,  to  think 
of  fighting  the  Taira  clan,  so  they  both  decided  that  the 
cherished  plan  must  wait  till  the  Minamoto  were 
stronger.  While  thus  waiting  they  heard  a  report  to  the 
effect  that  a  descendant  of  Tawara  Toda  Hidesato 
named  Hidehira  was  now  a  famous  general  in  Kaiwai  of 
the  Ashu  Province,  and  that  he  was  so  powerful  that  no 
one  dared  oppose  him.  Hearing  this,  Ushiwaka  thought 
that  it  would  be  a  good  plan  to  pay  the  general  a  visit 
and  try  to  interest  him,  if  possible,  in  the  fortunes  of 
the  House  of  Minamoto.  He  consulted  with  Benkei,  who 
encouraged  the  young  knight  in  his  scheme  of  enlisting 
the  General  Hidehira  as  a  partisan,  and  the  two  there- 
fore left  Kyoto  secretly  and  journeyed  as  quickly  as 
possible  to  Oshu  on  this  errand. 

On  the  way  there,  Ushiwaka  and  Benkei  came  to  the 
Temple  of  Atsuta,  and  as  they  considered  it  important 
that  the  young  knight  should  look  older  now,  Ushiwaka 
performed  the  ceremony  of  Gembuku  at  the  shrine. 
This  was  a  rite  performed  in  olden  times  when  youths 
reached  the  age  of  manhood.   They  then  had  to  shave 

313 


JAPAN 

off  the  front  part  of  their  hair  and  to  change  their  names 
as  a  sign  that  they  had  left  childhood  behind.  Ushiwaka 
now  took  the  name  of  Yoshitsune.  As  he  was  the  eighth 
son,  it  would  have  been  more  correct  for  him  to  have 
assumed  the  name  of  Hachiro,  but  as  his  uncle  Tame- 
tomo  the  Archer  was  named  Hachiro,  he  purposely  did 
not  take  this  name.  From  this  time  forth  our  hero  is 
known  as  Yoshitsune,  and  this  name  he  has  glorified 
forever  by  his  wonderful  bravery  and  many  heroic  ex- 
ploits. In  Japanese  history  he  is  the  knight  without  fear 
and  without  reproach,  the  darling  of  the  people,  to  them 
almost  an  incarnation  of  Hachiman,  the  popular  God  of 
War.  And  as  for  Benkei,  never  can  you  find  in  all  his- 
tory a  vassal  who  was  more  true  or  loyal  to  his  master 
than  Benkei.  He  was  Yoshitsune's  right  hand  in  every- 
thing, and  his  strength  and  wisdom  carried  them  success- 
fully through  many  a  dire  emergency. 

From  Kyoto  to  Oshu  is  a  long  journey  of  about  three 
hundred  miles,  but  at  length  Yoshitsune  (as  we  must 
now  call  him)  and  Benkei  reached  their  destination  and 
craved  the  General  Hidehira's  assistance.  They  found 
that  Hidehira  was  a  warm  adherent  of  the  Minamoto 
cause,  and  under  the  late  Lord  Yoshitomo  he  and  his 
family  had  enjoyed  great  favor.  When  the  general 
learned,  therefore,  that  Yoshitsune  was  the  son  of  the 
illustrious  Minamoto  chief,  his  joy  knew  no  bounds,  and 
he  made  Yoshitsune  and  Benkei  heartily  welcome  and 
treated  them  both  as  guests  of  honor  and  importance. 

Just  at  this  time  Yoshitsune's  eldest  brother,  Yori- 
tomo,  who  had  been  banished  to  an  island  in  Idzu,  col- 
lected a  great  army  and  raised  his  standard  against 
the  Taira.   When  the  news  about  Yoritomo  reached 

314 


THE   STORY   OF   YOSHITSUNE 

Yoshitsune,  he  rejoiced,  for  he  felt  that  the  hour  had  at 
last  come  when  the  Minamoto  would  be  revenged  on  the 
Taira  for  all  the  wrongs  they  had  suffered  at  the  hands 
of  the  latter. 

With  the  help  of  Hidehira  and  the  faithful  Benkei, 
he  collected  a  small  army  of  warriors  and  at  once 
marched  over  to  his  brother's  camp  in  Idzu.  He  sent  a 
messenger  ahead  to  inform  Yoritomo  that  his  youngest 
brother,  now  named  Yoshitsune,  was  coming  to  aid  him 
in  his  fight  against  the  Taira. 

Yoritomo  was  exceedingly  glad  at  this  unexpected 
good  news,  for  all  that  helped  to  swell  his  forces  now 
brought  nearer  the  day  when  he  would  be  able  to  strike 
his  long-planned  blow  at  the  power  of  the  hated  Taira. 
As  soon  as  Yoshitsune  reached  Idzu,  Yoritomo  arranged 
for  an  immediate  meeting.  Although  the  two  men  were 
brothers,  it  must  be  remembered  that  their  father  had 
been  killed,  and  the  family  utterly  scattered,  when  they 
were  mere  children,  Yoshitsune  being  at  that  time  but 
an  infant  in  his  mother's  arms.  As  this  was  therefore  the 
first  time  they  had  met,  Yoritomo  knew  nothing  of  his 
young  brother's  character. 

One  of  Yoshitsune's  elder  brothers  had  come  with 
him,  and  Yoritomo  being  a  shrewd  general  wished  to 
test  them  both  to  see  of  what  mettle  they  were  made. 
He  ordered  his  retainers  to  bring  a  brass  basin  full  of 
boiling  water.  When  it  was  brought,  Yoritomo  ordered 
Noriyori,  the  elder  of  the  two,  to  carry  it  to  him  first. 
Now  brass  being  a  good  conductor  of  heat,  the  basin  was 
very  hot  and  Noriyori  stupidly  let  it  fall.  Yoritomo  or- 
dered it  to  be  filled  again  and  bade  Yoshitsune  bring  it 
to  him.  Without  moving  a  muscle  of  his  handsome  face 

315 


JAPAN 

Yoshitsune  took  hold  of  the  almost  unbearably  hot  vessel 
and  carried  it  with  due  ceremony  slowly  across  the  room. 
This  exhibition  of  nerve  and  endurance  filled  Yoritomo 
with  admiration,  and  he  was  favorably  struck  with 
Yoshitsune's  character.  As  for  Noriyori,  who  had  been 
unable  to  hold  a  hot  basin  for  a  few  moments,  he  had  no 
use  for  him  at  all,  except  as  a  common  soldier. 

Yoritomo  begged  Yoshitsune  to  become  his  right- 
hand  man  and  zealously  to  espouse  his  cause.  Yoshitsune 
declared  that  this  had  been  his  lifelong  ambition  ever 
since  he  could  remember,  —  as  they  both  were  sons  of 
the  same  father,  so  was  their  cause  and  destiny  one. 
Yoritomo  made  Yoshitsune  a  general  of  part  of  his  army 
and  ordered  him  in  the  name  of  his  father  Yoshitomo  to 
chastise  the  Taira. 

Delighted  beyond  all  words  at  the  wonderfully  aus- 
picious turn  events  were  taking,  Yoshitsune  hastened 
his  preparations  for  the  march.  The  longed-for  hour  had 
come  to  which  through  his  whole  childhood  and  youth  he 
had  looked  forward,  and  for  which  his  whole  being  had 
thirsted  for  many  years.  He  could  now  fulfill  the  last 
words  of  his  unhappy  mother,  and  punish  the  Taira  for 
all  the  evil  they  had  wrought  against  the  Minamoto. 
All  the  wild  restlessness  of  his  youth,  which  had  driven 
him  forth  to  wield  his  wooden  sword  against  the  rocks  in 
the  Kuramayama  Valley  and  to  try  his  strength  against 
Benkei  on  the  Go  jo  Bridge,  now  found  vent  in  action 
most  dear  to  a  born  warrior's  heart.  With  several  thou- 
sands of  troops  under  him,  Yoshitsune  marched  up  to 
Kyoto  and  waged  war  against  the  Taira,  and  defeated 
them  in  a  series  of  brilliant  engagements. 

The  stricken  Taira  multitudes  fled  before  the  avenger 
316 


THE   STORY   OF  YOSHITSUNE 

like  autumn  leaves  before  the  blast,  and  Yoshitsune 
pursued  them  to  the  sea.  At  Dan-no  Ura  the  Taira  made 
a  last  stand,  but  all  in  vain.  Their  lion  leader,  Kiyomori, 
was  dead,  and  there  was  no  great  chieftain  to  rally  them 
in  the  disordered  retreat  that  now  ensued.  Yoshitsune 
came  sweeping  down  upon  them,  and  they  and  their 
fleet  and  their  infant  emperor  likewise,  with  their  women 
and  children,  sank  beneath  the  waves.  Only  a  scattered 
few  lived  to  tell  the  tale  of  the  terrible  destruction  that 
overtook  them  on  the  sea. 

Thus  did  Yoshitsune  become  a  great  warrior  and 
general.  Thus  did  he  fulfill  the  ambitions  of  his  youth 
and  avenge  his  father  Yoshitomo's  death.  He  was 
without  a  rival  in  the  whole  country  for  his  marvelous 
bravery  and  successive  victories.  He  was  adored  by  the 
people  as  their  most  popular  hero  and  darling,  and 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  his  praise 
was  sung  by  every  one. 


THREE  JAPANESE  POEMS 

TRANSLATED   BY  FREDERICK   VICTOR  DICKINS 
THE    PINE    TREE 

By  Chiu-nagon  Yuki-hira 

Inoba's  lofty  range  is  crowned 

By  many  a  tall  pine  tree; 
Ah,  quickly  were  I  homewards  bomid 

If  thou  shouldst  pine  for  me ! 

THE   FADED    FLOWER 

By  Kino  Tomo-nori 

'T  IS  a  pleasant  day  of  merry  spring, 

No  bitter  frosts  are  threatening. 

No  stormwinds  blow,  no  rain  clouds  lower, 

The  sun  shines  bright  on  high. 
Yet  thou,  poor  little  trembling  flower. 

Dost  wither  away  and  die. 

FAITHFULNESS 

By  Dai-ni  no  Sammi 

More  fickle  thou  than  th'  winds  that  pour 
Down  Arima  o'er  Ina's  moor. 
And  still  my  love  for  thee  as  yet 
I  have  forgotten  to  forget. 

318 


THE   GREAT  BUDDHA  OF   KAMAKURA 


THE  GREAT  BUDDHA  OF  KAMAKURA 

"The  gentleness,  the  dreamy  passionlessness  of  those 
features,  —  the  immense  repose  of  the  whole  figure,  —  are 
full  of  beauty  and  charm.  And,  contrary  to  all  expectation, 
the  nearer  you  approach  the  giant  Buddha,  the  greater 
this  charm  becomes.  You  look  up  into  the  solemnly  beauti- 
ful face,  —  into  the  closed  eyes  that  seem  to  watch  you 
through  their  eyelids  of  bronze  as  gently  as  those  of  a  child, 
—  and  you  feel  that  the  image  typifies  all  that  is  tender  and 
calm  in  the  Soul  of  the  East.  Yet  you  feel  that  only  Japa- 
nese thought  could  have  created  it.  Its  beauty,  its  dignity, 
its  perfect  repose,  reflect  the  higher  life  of  the  race  that 
imagined  it;  and,  though  doubtless  inspired  by  some  Indian 
model,  as  the  treatment  of  the  hair  and  various  symbolic 
marks  reveal,  the  art  is  Japanese. 

''So  mighty  and  beautiful  the  work  is,  that  you  will  not 
for  some  time  notice  the  magnificent  lotus-plants  of  bronze, 
fully  fifteen  feet  high,  planted  before  the  figure,  on  either 
side  of  the  great  tripod  in  which  incense-rods  are  burning. 

"Through  an  orifice  in  the  right  side  of  the  enormous 
lotus-blossom  on  which  the  Buddha  is  seated,  you  can  enter 
into  the  statue.  The  interior  contains  a  little  shrine  of  Kwan- 
non,  and  a  statue  of  the  priest  Yuten,  and  a  stone  tablet 
bearing  in  Chinese  characters  the  sacred  formula,  Namu 
Amida  Butsu. 

"A  ladder  enables  the  pilgrim  to  ascend  into  the  interior 
of  the  colossus  as  high  as  the  shoulders,  in  which  are  two 
little  windows  commanding  a  wide  prospect  of  the  grounds; 
while  a  priest,  who  acts  as  guide,  states  the  age  of  the  statue 
to  be  six  hundred  and  thirty  years,  and  asks  for  some  small 
contribution  to  aid  in  the  erection  of  a  new  temple  to  shelter 
it  from  the  weather. 

"  For  this  Buddha  once  had  a  temple.  A  tidal  wave  follow- 
ing an  earthquake  swept  walls  and  roof  away,  but  left  the 
mighty  Amida  unmoved,  still  meditating  upon  his  lotus." 

So  Lafcadio  Hearn  describes  the  great  Buddha  of  Kama- 
kura. 


II 

THE    RULE   OF    THE    SHOGUNS 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

By  the  thirteenth  century  the  supreme  power  had  been 
largely  taken  over  by  the  shogun  or  commander-in-chief, 
and  the  mikado  was  little  more  than  a  figurehead.  Toward 
the  end  of  the  century,  the  Mongols  under  Kublai  Khan 
attempted  several  invasions  of  Japan,  but  were  repulsed. 
In  the  sixteenth  century,  Hideyoshi,  the  shogun  of  the  time, 
succeeded  in  getting  complete  control  of  the  realm  and  per- 
mitted the  mikado  no  share  in  the  government.  His  power 
became  supreme,  owing  chiefly  to  his  wisdom  in  dividing  the 
fiefs  of  the  daimios,  or  nobility,  into  holdings  so  small  that 
the  owners  were  powerless  against  him. 

In  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  some  Portuguese 
sailors  were  wrecked  on  the  Japanese  coast ;  and  a  little  later 
Mendez  Pinto  was  driven  upon  the  shores  of  the  Island 
Kingdom.  Japan  had  no  wish  for  commercial  or  other  inter- 
course with  foreign  nations,  but  now  that  Portugal  had 
found  the  way,  this  could  hardly  be  avoided,  and  trade  with 
both  Portuguese  and  Dutch  followed,  though  with  numerous 
restrictions.  Christianity  had  been  preached  in  Japan  and 
many  converts  had  been  made.  These  converts  had  been  so 
bitterly  persecuted  that  they  had  joined  the  Portuguese  in 
a  plot  to  overthrow  the  government.  As  a  result,  the 
Portuguese  were  expelled  from  the  country. 


THE  GREAT  KHAN  KUBLAI  INVADES 
JAPAN 

BY   MARCO   POLO 

ZiPANGU  [Japan]  is  an  island  in  the  eastern  ocean,  situ- 
ated at  the  distance  of  about  fifteen  hundred  miles  from 
the  mainland,  or  coast  of  Manji.  It  is  of  considerable 
size;  its  inhabitants  have  fair  complexions,  are  well 
made,  and  are  civilized  in  their  manners.  Their  religion 
is  the  worship  of  idols.  They  are  independent  of  every 
foreign  power,  and  governed  only  by  their  own  kings. 
They  have  gold  in  the  greatest  abundance,  its  sources 
being  inexhaustible;  but  as  the  king  does  not  allow  of  its 
being  exported,  few  merchants  visit  the  country,  nor  is 
it  frequented  by  much  shipping  from  other  parts.  To 
this  circumstance  we  are  to  attribute  the  extraordinary 
richness  of  the  sovereign's  palace,  according  to  what  we 
are  told  by  those  who  have  access  to  the  place.  The  en- 
tire roof  is  covered  with  a  plating  of  gold,  in  the  same 
manner  as  we  cover  houses,  or  more  properly  churches, 
with  lead.  The  ceilings  of  the  halls  are  of  the  same  pre- 
cious metal ;  many  of  the  apartments  have  small  tables 
of  pure  gold  of  considerable  thickness;  and  the  windows 
also  have  golden  ornaments.  So  vast,  indeed,  are  the 
riches  of  the  palace  that  it  is  impossible  to  convey  an 
idea  of  them.  In  this  island  there  are  pearls  also,  in  large 
quantities,  of  a  red  (pink)  color,  round  in  shape,  and  of 
great  size,  equal  in  value  to,  or  even  exceeding  that  of 
the  white  pearls.   It  is  customary  with  one  part  of  the 

321 


JAPAN 

inhabitants  to  bury  their  dead,  and  with  another  part 
to  burn  them.  The  former  have  a  practice  of  putting 
one  of  these  pearls  into  the  mouth  of  the  corpse.  There 
are  also  found  there  a  number  of  precious  stones. 

Of  so  great  a  celebrity  was  the  wealth  of  this  island 
that  a  desire  was  excited  in  the  breast  of  the  Grand  Khan 
Kublai,  now  reigning,  to  make  the  conquest  of  it  and  to 
annex  it  to  his  dominions.  In  order  to  effect  this,  he 
fitted  out  a  numerous  fleet,  and  embarked  a  large  body 
of  troops  under  the  command  of  two  of  his  principal  offi- 
cers, one  of  whom  was  named  Abbacatan,  and  the  other 
Vonsancin.  The  expedition  sailed  from  the  ports  of 
Zai-tun  and  Kin-sai  and,  crossing  the  intermediate  sea, 
reached  the  island  in  safety;  but  in  consequence  of  a 
jealousy  that  arose  between  the  two  commanders,  one  of 
whom  treated  the  plans  of  the  other  with  contempt  and 
resisted  the  execution  of  his  orders,  they  were  unable  to 
gain  possession  of  any  city  or  fortified  place,  with  the 
exception  of  one  only,  which  was  carried  by  assault,  the 
garrison  having  refused  to  surrender.  Directions  were 
given  for  putting  the  whole  to  the  sword,  and  in  obedi- 
ence thereto  the  heads  were  of  all  cut  off,  excepting  of 
eight  persons,  who,  by  the  efiicacy  of  a  diabolical  charm, 
consisting  of  a  jewel  or  amulet  introduced  into  the  right 
arm  between  the  skin  and  the  flesh,  were  rendered  secure 
from  the  effects  of  iron,  either  to  kill  or  wound.  Upon 
this  discovery  being  made,  they  were  beaten  with  a 
heavy  wooden  club,  and  presently  died. 

It  happened  after  some  time  that  a  north  wind  began 
to  blow  with  great  force,  and  the  ships  of  the  Tartars, 
which  lay  near  the  shore  of  the  island,  were  driven  foul 
of  each  other.  It  was  determined  thereupon  in  a  council 

322 


THE  GREAT  KHAN  KUBLAI  INVADES  JAPAN 

of  the  officers  on  board  that  they  ought  to  disengage 
themselves  from  the  land;  and  accordingly,  as  soon  as 
the  troops  were  reembarked,  they  stood  out  to  sea. 
The  gale,  however,  increased  to  so  violent  a  degree  that 
a  number  of  the  vessels  foundered.  The  people  belong- 
ing to  them,  by  floating  upon  pieces  of  the  wreck,  saved 
themselves  upon  an  island  lying  about  four  miles  from 
the  coast  of  Zipangu.  The  other  ships,  which,  not  being 
so  near  to  the  land,  did  not  suffer  from  the  storm,  and 
in  which  the  two  chiefs  were  embarked,  together  with 
the  principal  officers,  or  those  whose  rank  entitled  them 
to  command  a  hundred  thousand  or  ten  thousand  men, 
directed  their  course  homewards,  and  returned  to  the 
Grand  Khan. 

Those  of  the  Tartars  who  remained  upon  the  island 
where  they  were  wrecked,  and  who  amounted  to  about 
thirty  thousand  men,  finding  themselves  left  without 
shipping,  abandoned  by  their  leaders,  and  having  neither 
arms  nor  provisions,  expected  nothing  less  than  to  be- 
come captives  or  perish ;  especially  as  the  island  afforded 
no  habitations  where  they  could  take  shelter  and  refresh 
themselves.  As  soon  as  the  gale  ceased  and  the  sea  be- 
came smooth  and  calm,  the  people  from  the  main  island 
of  Zipangu  came  over  with  a  large  force,  in  numerous 
boats,  in  order  to  make  prisoners  of  these  shipwrecked 
Tartars,  and  having  landed,  proceeded  in  search  of 
them,  but  in  a  straggling,  disorderly  manner.  The  Tar- 
tars, on  their  part,  acted  with  prudent  circumspection, 
and,  being  concealed  from  view  by  some  high  land  in 
the  center  of  the  island,  whilst  the  enemy  were  hurry- 
ing in  pursuit  of  them  by  one  road,  made  a  circuit  of  the 
coast  by  another,  which  brought  them  to  the  place  where 

323 


JAPAN 

the  fleet  of  boats  was  at  anchor.  Finding  these  all  aban- 
doned, but  with  their  colors  flying,  they  instantly  seized 
them,  and  pushing  off  from  the  island,  stood  for  the  prin- 
cipal city  of  Zipangu,  into  which,  from  the  appearance 
of  the  colors,  they  were  suffered  to  enter  unmolested. 
Here  they  found  few  of  the  inhabitants  besides  women. 

When  the  king  was  apprised  of  what  had  taken  place, 
he  was  much  afflicted,  and  immediately  gave  directions 
for  a  strict  blockade  of  the  city,  which  was  so  effectual 
that  not  any  person  was  suffered  to  enter  or  to  escape 
from  it  during  the  six  months  that  the  siege  continued. 
At  the  expiration  of  this  time,  the  Tartars,  despairing 
of  succor,  surrendered  upon  the  condition  of  their  lives 
being  spared.  These  events  took  place  in  the  course  of 
the  year  1264. 

The  Grand  Khan  having  learned  some  years  after 
that  the  unfortunate  issue  of  the  expedition  was  to  be 
attributed  to  the  dissension  between  the  two  command- 
ers, caused  the  head  of  one  of  them  to  be  cut  off;  the 
other  he  sent  to  the  savage  island  of  Zorza,  where  it  is 
the  custom  to  execute  criminals  in  the  following  manner. 
They  are  wrapped  round  both  arms  in  the  hide  of  a 
buffalo  fresh  taken  from  the  beast,  which  is  sewed  tight. 
As  this  dries,  it  compresses  the  body  to  such  a  degree 
that  the  sufferer  is  incapable  of  moving  or  in  any  manner 
helping  himself,  and  thus  miserably  perishes. 


THE  COMING  OF  WILL  ADAMS  TO  JAPAN 

[Will  Adams  was  the  first  Englishman  to  make  his  home  in 
Japan.  His  knowledge  of  shipbuilding  made  him  so  useful 
to  the  emperor  that,  although  he  was  treated  with  honors 
and  liberality,  he  was  not  allowed  to  leave  the  country.  The 
Japanese  of  the  street  in  Yedo  which  was  named  for  him 
still  hold  an  annual  celebration  in  his  memory. 

The  letter  from  which  the  following  extracts  are  taken  — 
with  modernized  spelling  —  was  written  in  1611.  It  begins 
with  his  departure  from  the  coast  of  Peru. 

The  Editor.] 

It  was  agreed  that  we  should  leave  the  coast  of  Peru 
and  direct  our  course  for  Japan,  having  understood  that 
cloth  was  good  merchandise  there  and  also  how  upon 
that  coast  of  Peru  the  king's  ships  were  out  seeking  us, 
having  knowledge  of  our  being  there,  understanding 
that  we  were  weak  of  men,  which  was  certain,  for  one 
of  our  fleet  for  hunger  was  forced  to  seek  relief  at  the 
enemies'  hands  in  Saint  Ago.  So  we  stood  away  directly 
for  Japan,  and  passed  the  equinoctial  line  together, 
until  we  came  in  twenty-eight  degrees  to  the  northward 
of  the  line,  in  which  latitude  we  were  about  the  twenty- 
third  of  February,  1600.  We  had  a  wondrous  storm  of 
wind  as  ever  I  was  in,  with  much  rain,  in  which  storm 
we  lost  our  consort,  whereof  we  were  very  sorry.  Never- 
theless with  hope  that  in  Japan  we  should  meet  the  one 
the  other,  we  proceeded  on  our  former  intention  for  Ja- 
pan, and  in  the  height  of  thirty  degrees  sought  the  north- 
ernmost cape  of  the  forenamed  island,  but  found  it  not 
by  reason  that  it  lieth  false  in  all  cards  and  maps  and 

32s 


JAPAN 

globes;  for  the  cape  lieth  in  thirty-five  degrees  and  one 
half,  which  is  a  great  difference.  In  the  end,  in  thirty- 
two  degrees  and  one  half  we  came  in  sight  of  the  land, 
being  the  nineteenth  day  of  April.  So  that  between  the 
Cape  of  St.  Maria  and  Japan  we  were  four  months  and 
twenty- two  days;  at  which  time  there  were  no  more 
than  six  besides  myself  that  could  stand  upon  his  feet. 

So  we  in  safety  let  fall  our  anchor  about  a  league  from 
a  place  called  Bungo.  At  which  time  came  to  us  many 
boats,  and  we  suffered  them  to  come  aboard,  being  not 
able  to  resist  them,  which  people  did  us  no  harm,  neither 
of  us  understanding  the  one  the  other.  The  king  of  Bungo 
showed  us  great  friendship,  for  he  gave  us  an  house  and 
land,  where  we  landed  our  sick  men,  and  had  all  refresh- 
ing that  was  needful.  We  had  when  we  came  to  anchor 
in  Bungo,  sick  and  whole,  four  and  twenty  men,  of  which 
number  the  next  day  three  died.  The  rest  for  the  most 
part  recovered,  saving  three,  which  lay  a  long  time  sick, 
and  in  the  end  also  died. 

In  the  which  time  of  our  being  here,  the  emperor  hear- 
ing of  us  sent  presently  five  galleys,  or  frigates,  to  us  to 
bring  me  to  the  court  where  His  Highness  was,  which  was 
distant  from  Bungo  about  an  eighty  English  leagues. 
So  that  as  soon  as  I  came  before  him,  he  demanded  of 
me  of  what  country  we  were.  So  I  answered  him  in  all 
points,  for  there  was  nothing  that  he  demanded  not, 
both  concerning  war  and  peace  between  country  and 
country;  so  that  the  particulars  here  to  write  would  be 
too  tedious.  And  for  that  time  I  was  commanded  to 
prison,  being  well  used,  with  one  of  our  mariners  that 
came  with  me  to  serve  me. 

A  two  days  after,  the  emperor  called  me  again,  de- 

326 


THE  COMING  OF  WILL  ADAMS  TO  JAPAN 

manding  the  reason  of  our  coming  so  far.  I  answered: 
We  are  a  people  that  sought  all  friendship  with  all  na- 
tions, and  to  have  trade  in  all  countries,  bringing  such 
merchandise  as  our  country  did  afford  into  strange  lands 
in  the  way  of  traffic.  He  demanded  also  as  concerning 
the  wars  between  the  Spaniards  or  Portugal  and  our 
country  and  the  reasons;  the  which  I  gave  him  to  un- 
derstand of  all  things,  which  he  was  glad  to  hear,  as  it 
seemed  to  me. 

In  the  end  I  was  commanded  to  prison  again,  but  my 
lodging  was  bettered  in  another  place.  So  that  thirty- 
nine  days  I  was  in  prison,  hearing  no  more  news,  neither 
of  our  ship  nor  captain,  whether  he  were  recovered  of 
his  sickness  or  not,  nor  of  the  rest  of  the  company;  in 
which  time  I  looked  every  day  to  die,  to  be  crossed 
[crucified]  as  the  custom  of  justice  is  in  Japan,  as  hanging 
in  our  land.  In  which  long  time  of  imprisonment,  the 
Jesuits  and  the  Portuguese  gave  many  evidences  against 
me  and  the  rest  to  the  emperor  that  we  were  thieves  and 
robbers  of  all  nations,  and,  were  we  suffered  to  live,  it 
should  be  against  the  profit  of  His  Highness  and  the 
land;  for  no  nation  should  come  there  without  robbing; 
His  Highness's  justice  being  executed,  the  rest  of  our 
nation  without  doubt  should  fear  and  not  come  here  any 
more :  thus  daily  making  access  to  the  emperor  and  pro- 
curing friends  to  hasten  my  death.  But  God,  that  is 
always  merciful  at  need,  showed  mercy  unto  us  and 
would  not  suffer  them  to  have  their  wills  of  us.  In  the 
end,  the  emperor  gave  them  answer  that  we  as  yet  had 
not  done  to  him  nor  to  none  of  his  land  any  harm  or 
damage;  therefore  against  reason  and  justice  to  put  us 
to  death.    If  our  countries  had  war  the  one  with  the 

327 


JAPAN 

other,  that  was  no  cause  that  he  should  put  us  to  death; 
with  which  they  were  out  of  heart  that  their  cruel 
pretense  failed  them.  For  which  God  be  forevermore 
praised. 

Now  in  this  time  that  I  was  in  prison  the  ship  was 
commanded  to  be  brought  so  near  to  the  city  where  the 
emperor  was  as  she  might  be  (for  grounding  her) ;  the 
which  was  done.  Forty-one  days  being  expired,  the  em- 
peror caused  me  to  be  brought  before  him  again,  de- 
manding of  me  many  questions  more,  which  were  too 
long  to  write.  In  conclusion  he  asked  me  whether  I 
were  desirous  to  go  to  the  ship  to  see  my  countrymen. 
I  answered  very  gladly,  the  which  he  bade  me  do.  So  I 
departed  and  was  free  from  imprisonment.  And  this  was 
the  first  news  that  I  had  that  the  ship  and  company 
were  come  to  the  city.  So  that  with  a  rejoicing  heart 
I  took  a  boat  and  went  to  our  ship,  where  I  found  the 
captain  and  the  rest  recovered  of  their  sickness;  and 
when  I  came  aboard  with  weeping  eyes  was  received, 
for  it  was  given  them  to  understand  that  I  was  executed 
long  since.  Thus,  God  be  praised,  all  we  that  were  left 
alive  came  together  again. 

From  the  ship  all  things  were  taken  out,  so  that  the 
clothes  which  I  took  with  me  on  my  back  I  only  had.  All 
my  instruments  and  books  were  taken.  Not  only  I  lost 
what  I  had  in  the  ship,  but  from  the  captain  and  the 
company  generally  what  was  good  or  worth  the  taking 
was  carried  away;  all  which  was  done  unknown  to  the 
emperor.  So  in  process  of  time  having  knowledge  of  it, 
he  commanded  that  they  which  had  taken  our  goods 
should  restore  it  to  us  back  again;  but  it  was  here  and 
there  so  taken  that  we  could  not  get  it  again,  saving 

328 


THE  COMING  OF  WILL  ADAMS  TO  JAPAN 

50,000  R^  in  ready  money  was  commanded  to  be  given 
us  and  in  his  presence  brought  and  dehvered  in  the  hands 
of  one  that  was  made  our  governor,  who  kept  them  in 
his  hands  to  distribute  them  unto  us  as  we  had  need  for 
the  buying  of  victuals  for  our  men  with  other  particular 
charges.  In  the  end  the  money  was  divided  according 
to  every  man's  place ;  but  this  was  about  two  years  that 
we  had  been  in  Japan,  and  when  we  had  a  denial  that  we 
should  not  have  our  ship,  but  to  abide  in  Japan.  So  that 
the  part  of  every  one  being  divided,  every  one  took  his 
way  where  he  thought  best.  In  the  end,  the  emperor 
gave  every  man,  much  as  was  worth  eleven  or  twelve 
ducats  a  year,  namely,  myself,  the  captain,  and  mariners 
all  alike. 

So  in  process  of  four  or  five  years  the  emperor  called 
me,  as  divers  times  he  had  done  before.  So  one  time 
above  the  rest  he  would  have  me  to  make  him  a  small 
ship.  I  answered  that  I  was  no  carpenter  and  had  no 
knowledge  thereof.  "Well,  do  your  endeavor,"  saith 
he;  "if  it  be  not  good,  it  is  no  matter."  Wherefore  at 
his  command  I  built  him  a  ship  of  the  burden  of  eighty 
tons  or  thereabout;  which  ship  being  made  in  all  re- 
spects as  our  manner  is,  he  coming  aboard  to  see  it,  liked 
it  very  well ;  by  which  means  I  came  in  favor  with  him,  so 
that  I  came  often  in  his  presence,  who  from  time  to  time 
gave  me  presents,  and  at  length  a  yearly  stipend  to  live 
upon,  much  about  seventy  ducats  by  the  year  with  two 
pounds  of  rice  a  day  daily.  Now  being  in  such  grace 
and  favor  by  reason  I  learned  him  some  points  of  geome- 
try and  understanding  of  the  art  of  mathematics  with 
other  things,  I  pleased  him  so  that  what  I  said  he  would 
not  contrary.  At  which  my  former  enemies  did  wonder, 

329 


JAPAN 

and  at  this  time  must  entreat  me  to  do  them  a  friendship, 
which  to  both  Spaniards  and  Portuguese  have  I  done, 
recompensing  them  good  for  evil.  So  to  pass  my  time 
to  get  my  living,  it  hath  cost  me  great  labor  and  trouble 
at  the  first;  but  God  hath  blessed  my  labor. 

In  the  end  of  five  years  I  made  supplication  to  the 
king  to  go  out  of  this  land,  desiring  to  see  my  poor  wife 
and  children  according  to  conscience  and  nature.  With 
thfe  which  request  the  emperor  was  not  well  pleased,  and 
would  not  let  me  go  any  more  for  my  country,  but  to 
bide  in  his  land.  Yet  in  process  of  time,  being  in  great 
favor  with  the  emperor,  I  made  supplication  again, 
by  reason  we  had  news  that  the  Hollanders  were  in 
Shian  and  Patania;  which  rejoiced  us  much  with  hope 
that  God  should  bring  us  to  our  country  again  by  one 
means  or  other.  So  I  made  supplication  again,  and  boldly 
spoke  myself  with  him,  at  which  he  gave  me  no  answer. 
I  told  him  if  he  would  permit  me  to  depart,  I  would  be 
a  means  that  both  the  English  and  Hollanders  should 
come  and  traffic  there.  But  by  no  means  he  would  let 
me  go.  I  asked  him  leave  for  the  captain,  the  which  he 
presently  granted  me.  So  by  that  means  my  captain  got 
leave,  and  in  a  Japan  junk  sailed  to  Pattan;  and  in  a 
year's  space  came  no  Hollanders.  In  the  end,  he  went 
from  Patane  to  lor,  where  he  found  a  fleet  of  nine  sail, 
of  which  fleet  Matleef  was  general,  and  in  this  fleet  he 
was  made  master  again,  which  fleet  sailed  to  Malacca 
and  fought  with  an  armado  of  Portugal ;  in  which  battle 
he  was  shot  and  presently  died;  so  that,  as  I  think,  no 
certain  news  is  known  whether  I  be  living  or  dead. 
Therefore  I  do  pray  and  entreat  you  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ  to  do  so  much  as  to  make  my  being  here 

330 


THE  COMING  OF  WILL  ADAMS  TO  JAPAN 

in  Japan  known  to  my  poor  wife,  in  a  manner  a  widow 
and  my  two  children  fatherless ;  which  thing  only  is  my 
greatest  grief  of  heart  and  conscience.  I  am  a  man  not 
unknown  in  Ratclifife  and  Limehouse,  by  name  to  my 
good  Master  Nicholas  Diggines  and  M.  Thomas  Best 
and  M.  Nicholas  Isaac  and  William  Isaac,  brothers, 
with  many  others;  also  to  M.  William  Jones  and  M. 
Becket.  Therefore  may  this  letter  come  to  any  of  their 
hands  or  the  copy,  I  do  know  that  compassion  and  mercy 
is  so  that  my  friends  and  kindred  shall  have  news  that 
I  do  as  yet  live  in  this  vale  of  my  sorrowful  pilgrimage ; 
the  which  thing  again  and  again  I  do  desire  for  Jesus 
Christ  his  sake. 


LONG  SPEARS  OR  SHORT  SPEARS 

BY   WALTER  DENING 

[The  "  Tokichi "  of  this  story  is  the  famous  Japanese  gen- 
eral Hideyoshi. 

The  Editor.] 

Once  it  happened  that  Nobunaga  gave  a  feast  to  his 
chief  retainers  and  in  the  course  of  conversation  spoke 
as  follows:  "Weapons  of  war  have  changed  from  age  to 
age.  In  very  ancient  times  bows  and  arrows  were  all 
the  fashion;  then  spears  and  swords  came  into  use;  and 
recently  guns  are  all  the  rage.  These  weapons  all  have 
their  advantages,  but  I  intend  to  make  the  spear  the 
weapon  on  which  to  rely  in  battle.  Now,  as  you  know, 
there  are  some  who  advocate  the  use  of  long  spears  and 
others  who  prefer  short  ones.  I  should  like  to  hear 
what  you,  Mr.  Mondo,  have  to  say  on  this  point." 

Mondo  in  a  most  pompous  manner  commenced  thus 
to  state  his  opinion:  "To  me  it  seems  there  can  be  no 
difference  of  opinion  as  to  short  spears  being  preferable 
to  long  ones.  When  thrust  into  an  opponent's  body  they 
enter  with  great  strength ;  when  flourished  about  in  self- 
defense  they  can  be  moved  rapidly;  and  when  an  enemy 
comes  to  close  quarters,  whereas  nothing  can  be  done 
with  a  long  spear,  a  short  one  can  be  wielded  at  will. 
That  weapon  which  can  be  moved  about  with  the  great- 
est freedom  to  suit  the  exigencies  of  the  occasion  is 
surely  the  best.  In  my  idea,  therefore,  no  spear  should 
be  longer  than  eight  feet." 

332 


LONG   SPEARS   OR   SHORT   SPEARS 

Nobunaga,  being  in  the  habit  of  using  a  spear  about 
eighteen  feet  long,  felt  disconcerted  as  he  listened  to 
these  remarks;  but  since  they  proceeded  from  the  lips 
of  a  professor  of  the  art  of  spear  exercise  in  his  own  em- 
ploy, he  did  not  care  to  reply  to  them  in  person.  Look- 
ing around,  he  saw  Tokichi  [Hideyoshi]  coming  in,  and, 
without  telling  him  what  had  happened,  turned  to  him 
and  said:  "Ah!  Tokichi,  come  here.  Which  is  to  be  pre- 
ferred, a  long  spear  or  a  short  one?" 

"Why  ask  me  such  a  question?"  replied  Tokichi. 
Then,  pointing  to  Mondo,  he  continued:  "Here  is  a 
man  who  is  versed  in  these  matters;  consult  him." 

"No,  no,"  replied  Nobunaga,  "to-day  every  one  is 
to  give  his  opinion  on  the  subject,  so  just  say  what 
you  think,  will  you?" 

"Well,  then,"  replied  Tokichi,  "I  will.  Long  spears 
are  the  better,  of  course." 

"What  are  you  talking  about?"  exclaimed  Mondo, 
burning  with  rage.  "Am  I  not  employed  by  Lord  Oda 
[Nobunaga]  for  the  special  purpose  of  giving  instruction 
in  spear  exercise?  And  have  I  not  decided  that  short 
spears  are  the  better?  You  have  the  audacity  to  assert 
the  opposite!  I  don't  suppose  you  know  anything  about 
the  matter;  but  if  you  do,  I  should  like  to  know  your 
reasons  for  the  assertion  you  have  made." 

"I  do  not  pretend  to  be  versed  in  the  matter,"  replied 
Tokichi,  "but  as  I  was  commanded  by  the  baron  to 
say  what  I  think,  and  since  I  am  decidedly  of  the  opinion 
that  long  spears  are  the  better,  surely  I  am  not  to  be 
blamed  for  saying  so." 

Without  waiting  for  him  to  finish  his  reply,  Mondo, 
who  was  growing  more  and  more  angry,  came  close  to 

333 


JAPAN 

him,  and  pushing  him  as  he  spoke,  again  asked,  "What 
is  your  reason  for  saying  that  long  spears  are  the 
better?" 

"All  I  know  is  that  a  long  spear  reaches  a  long  way, 
and  therefore  is  better  than  a  short  one,"  replied 
Tokichi. 

"You  cannot  decide  the  matter  in  this  summary 
manner,"  replied  Mondo.  "You  should  not  talk  such 
nonsense  in  the  presence  of  the  baron.  Please  in  future 
be  more  careful  what  you  say." 

"Was  I  not  commanded  by  Lord  Oda  to  speak  my 
mind  on  the  subject?"  asked  Tokichi.  "You  cannot 
have  every  one  thinking  alike  on  such  matters.  You 
hold  that  short  spears  are  the  best,  but  other  persons  are 
evidently  of  a  different  opinion  or  there  would  be  no 
long  spears  used  in  the  country.  For  a  man  that  pro- 
fesses to  be  a  teacher  of  spear  exercise  to  take  such  a 
narrow  view  of  things  is  extremely  absurd." 

"Having  had  experience  in  the  matter,"  replied 
Mondo,  "I  speak  as  one  that  knows,  and  am  not  theo- 
rizing like  you." 

Here  Nobunaga  interposed:  "You  two  may  go  on 
forever  like  this  without  settling  anything.  Suppose  we 
put  the  matter  to  a  practical  test.  Do  you  each  take 
command  of  fifty  soldiers,  and  for  three  days  let  them 
be  instructed  in  the  use  of  your  respective  spears,  after 
which  you  shall  all  meet  and  fence,  and  we  will  see  who 
gets  the  best  of  it." 

The  leaders  agreed.  But  none  of  the  soldiers  wished 
to  belong  to  Tokichi's  side.  "What  does  he  know  about 
spear  exercise?"  said  they.  "Of  course  he  will  be 
beaten."  Nobunaga,  seeing  this,  commanded  that  lots 

334 


LONG   SPEARS   OR   SHORT  SPEARS 

be  drawn,  and  that  the  men  on  whom  the  lots  fell  should 
fence  on  Tokichi's  side. 

Mondo  was  much  pleased  with  the  arrangement  made. 
"We  shall  soon  see  what  this  fellow's  theories  are 
worth,"  said  he. 

He  instructed  his  fifty  men  day  by  day,  telling  them 
how  to  turn  aside  the  thrusts  of  their  foes  and  how  to 
get  into  close  quarters  with  them  and  render  their  long 
spears  useless.  But  they,  being  novices  at  the  art,  made 
little  progress.  Mondo,  seeing  this,  grew  very  angry 
with  them,  and  mingling  blows  with  abuse,  tried  to 
frighten  them  into  acquiring  the  art;  but  all  to  no  pur- 
pose. They  became  utterly  sick  of  the  whole  thing,  and 
did  nothing  but  complain  of  their  ill  luck  in  being  chosen 
to  fight  on  Hondo's  side. 

Tokichi  gathered  his  men  together  and  addressed 
them  as  follows:  *'We  have  been  commanded  by  our 
lord  to  try  whether  long  spears  are  not  better  than  short 
ones  by  fencing  with  Mondo  and  his  men.  As  Nobunaga 
is  of  opinion  that  long  spears  are  the  better  and  I  think 
so,  too,  of  course  we  shall  conquer.  If  you  do  not  know 
already,  it  is  impossible  that  in  the  space  of  three  days 
you  can  learn  how  to  use  a  spear.  So  what  you  would 
better  do  is  to  make  up  your  minds  that  you  will  fight 
together.  Provided  you  obey  orders  and  keep  together, 
you  may  use  your  spears  any  way  you  please.  Dash  at 
Mondo's  men  and  hit  them  about  anyhow  and  they  will 
give  in.  As  to-day  is  the  first  day  of  our  preparation  for 
war,  we  should  better  propitiate  Hachiman  by  making 
some  offerings  to  him." 

Here  Tokichi  caused  food  and  sake  to  be  presented 
to  Hachiman.    These  he  afterwards  took  and  handed 

335 


JAPAN 

around  to  his  men,  who,  after  having  thoroughly  re- 
galed themselves,  went  home  thinking  that  their  leader 
was  a  very  jolly  fellow. 

The  next  day  Tokichi  divided  his  men  into  three 
bands,  consisting  of  two  bands  of  sixteen  men  each, 
which  were  to  approach  the  enemy  from  the  right,  and 
another  of  eighteen  men,  which  was  to  advance  from  the 
center.  "I  will  give  the  word  of  command,"  said  he, 
"do  you  all  obey  orders  promptly."  He  then  feasted 
them  again  and,  after  praising  them  for  the  attention 
which  they  had  paid  to  what  he  had  said,  sent  them 
home. 

The  next  day  he  spent  a  short  time  in  ordering  them 
about;  they  obeyed  his  commands  with  great  prompt- 
ness. So,  after  giving  them  another  good  meal,  he  said: 
** To-morrow  is  the  day  of  trial;  remember  you  are  to 
make  up  your  minds  not  to  be  beaten." 

"No  fear,"  they  replied,  "those  fellows  won't  stand 
a  chance  before  us!" 

While  on  their  way  home  at  sunset,  they  fell  in  with 
Mondo's  men.  "Well,  how  are  you  getting  on?"  they 
inquired. 

Mondo's  men  all  began  to  grumble.  "We  have  only 
just  finished  our  drill,"  said  they.  "From  morning  to 
night,  every  day  we  have  been  at  it.  Mondo  hardly 
gives  us  time  to  get  our  lunch.  We  are  utterly  worn  out 
with  fatigue  and  hunger,  and  our  limbs  are  stiff  with 
using  the  spear;  how  it  will  fare  with  us  to-morrow,  good- 
ness knows;  we  are  in  no  condition  to  fight.  A  hard  life 
of  it  we  warriors  have  to  pass,  sure  enough!" 

The  next  day  Tokichi  reported  to  Nobunaga  that  his 
men  had  been  duly  trained,  and  he  was  prepared  to  meet 

336 


LONG   SPEARS   OR   SHORT   SPEARS 

Mondo  and  his  party.  Nobunaga  had  great  confidence 
in  Tokichi's  superior  intelligence  and  felt  sure  that  by 
some  means  or  other  he  would  outwit  Mondo,  so  he 
gave  orders  for  the  preparation  of  a  large  fencing  ring, 
and  decided  that  the  match  should  take  place  that  same 
day. 

The  contest  commenced  in  the  customary  way,  the 
sound  of  the  drum  being  the  signal  for  the  onset  to 
begin.  At  the  command  of  Tokichi  the  eighteen  men 
appointed  to  face  the  central  part  of  the  enemy's  force 
advanced  with  spirit  and  all  together.  Hondo's  men 
had  not  been  drilled  to  combined  effort,  and  so  when 
they  were  suddenly  set  upon  by  these  eighteen  men,  they 
lost  their  heads,  and  while  they  were  in  a  state  of  con- 
fusion, Tokichi  commanded  the  right  and  left  wings  to 
advance  to  the  attack;  which  being  done,  all  Hondo's 
men  were  driven  from  the  position  they  had  occupied. 
While  this  was  going  on,  Hondo  was  engaged  in  giving 
orders  to  individual  men  as  to  how  they  were  to  ward 
off  the  blows  of  their  opponents;  but,  as  they  knew  no- 
thing of  the  art  of  fencing  and  were  bewildered  by  the 
combined  attack  of  their  foes,  his  commands  were  not 
obeyed.  While  he  was  considering  what  to  do,  the  drum 
sounded  for  the  fight  to  cease. 

Hondo,  overcome  with  remorse,  begged  Nobunaga  to 
allow  him  to  try  a  second  time. 

Tokichi,  on  being  consulted  as  to  this,  said:  "Cer- 
tainly; there  is  no  saying  how  many  times  one  may  have 
to  fight  an  enemy.  I  am  ready  to  fight  any  number  of 
times." 

On  the  renewal  of  the  contest,  Hondo  encountered 
another  defeat;  and  this  time  Tokichi  by  a  stratagem 

337 


JAPAN 

surrounded  all  his  opponent's  men  so  that  they  could 
not  move  forward  or  back. 

Nobunaga,  seeing  the  skill  with  which  Tokichi  gave 
orders,  determined  to  employ  him  as  one  of  his  generals. 

The  fencing  being  over,  Nobunaga  called  Mundo  and 
Tokichi  and  addressed  them  as  follows:  "The  contest 
you  have  had  to-day  has  been  no  real  test  as  to  which 
spear  is  the  better,  the  long  or  the  short  one.  As  Tokichi 
is  skillful  in  maneuvering  troops,  he  has  come  off  vic- 
torious. If  the  contest  had  depended  on  Hondo's  use 
of  the  spear,  of  course  it  would  have  been  otherwise. 
All  that  has  happened  has  been  a  fight  between  a  num- 
ber of  unskillful  men.  So  you  two  have  no  reason  for 
bearing  any  ill  will  to  each  other." 

Here  they  returned  to  their  homes.  Mondo's  angry 
feelings  had  been  somewhat  appeased  by  Nobunaga's 
remarks,  but  he  still  thought  that  Tokichi  ought  to  be 
humbled  in  some  way  or  other;  so,  knowing  that  Sakuma 
and  Shibata,  two  of  Nobunaga's  chief  vassals,  looked 
with  envious  eyes  on  Tokichi's  rapid  promotion,  he  deter- 
mined to  unite  with  them  in  concocting  something  that 
would  tend  to  lower  Tokichi  in  the  eyes  of  his  master. 

In  the  mean  while  Tokichi's  suspicions  in  reference  to 
Mondo  began  to  be  aroused.  He  bore  in  mind  Mondo's 
assertion  that  he  had  come  from  Chugoku,  but  to  Toki- 
chi his  language  and  manners  appeared  unlike  those  of 
a  man  who  had  come  from  a  distant  province.  Might  he 
not  be  a  spy  from  some  neighboring  enemy  of  Nobunaga? 
In  order  to  find  out  who  he  was,  Tokichi  summoned  from 
his  native  village  of.  Nakamura  a  man  called  Yasuke. 
Him  he  ordered  to  become  Mondo's  servant  and  to 
watch  his  movements  closely. 

338 


LONG  SPEARS  OR  SHORT  SPEARS 

While  this  was  taking  place,  Mondo,  Sakuma,  and 
Shibata  were  consulting  together  as  to  how  they  should 
get  rid  of  Tokichi.  Mondo  suggested  that,  as  there  had 
been  a  controversy  about  the  spears  and  subsequently  a 
match  to  test  their  merits,  he  should  ask  Nobunaga  to 
allow  him  and  Tokichi  to  have  a  fencing  match,  "And 
then,"  said  he,  "during  the  match  I  will  kill  him."  This 
plan  met  with  the  approval  of  the  other  two. 

Nobunaga,  being  asked  to  allow  the  match  to  be  held, 
called  Tokichi  and  consulted  him  about  it.  Tokichi  im- 
mediately accepted  Hondo's  challenge.  Before  the  fenc- 
ing commenced,  they  each  agreed  that  whoever  was 
defeated  should  become  the  servant  of  the  victor. 

Mondo,  though  confident  of  victory,  was  no  match  for 
Tokichi,  who  was  extremely  proficient  in  all  the  military 
arts  of  those  days.  Overcome  with  shame,  Mondo 
bowed  his  head  and  offered  to  become  his  adversary's 
servant. 

"According  to  the  agreement  made,  Mondo,"  inter- 
posed Nobunaga,  "you  are  to  become  Tokichi 's  follower, 
and  see  to  it  that  you  bear  no  malice  in  your  heart  on 
this  account." 

Tokichi  bade  Mondo  come  to  his  house  that  evening, 
saying  that  he  had  something  he  wished  to  say  to  him. 
On  his  arrival  Tokichi  spoke  to  him  as  follows:  "My 
getting  the  best  of  the  contest  to-day  is  something  that 
I  never  expected.  I  hope  that  you  will  not  on  this  ac- 
count harbor  any  ill  feelings  toward  me.  Although  an 
ignorant  man,  I  have  intelligence  enough  to  see  that  in 
most  matters  you  are  extremely  shrewd  and  that  your 
skill  in  the  art  you  profess  is  very  considerable.  I  am 
anxious  that  your  powers  should  be  employed  in  effect- 

339 


JAPAN 

ing  what  is  good  and  not  what  is  bad.  My  saying  to- 
day that  you  should  become  my  servant  was  not  said 
in  pride.  My  object  in  making  you  a  servant  was  that  I 
might  have  an  opportunity  of  correcting  what  is  wrong 
in  you.  As  I  am  thus  dealing  honestly  with  you  and  tell- 
ing you  the  real  truth,  I  trust  that  you  will  hide  nothing 
from  me.  You  are  not  from  Chugoku,  but  are  no  other 
than  a  spy  of  Saito,  sent  here  to  watch  for  an  opportu- 
nity of  killing  Nobunaga." 

Tokichi  now  produced  a  letter,  which  Yasuke  had 
seized,  that  contained  a  clear  reference  to  the  plot,  and 
then  continued:  "And  this  you  deem  acting  faithfully 
to  your  master,  do  you?  You  may  call  it  loyalty,  but  it 
is  a  loyalty  which  should  not  be  practiced.  Without 
asking  whether  a  master  is  virtuous  or  not,  a  fool  or  a 
wise  man,  obedient  to  the  laws  or  not,  to  expend  effort 
in  furthering  this  course  is  the  height  of  folly.  You  may 
get  a  kind  of  reputation  by  doing  this,  but  what  is  it 
worth?" 

Mondo  was  utterly  taken  aback  by  these  revelations 
and  did  not  know  what  to  say  in  reply.  After  thinking 
over  the  matter  a  little,  "This  man  is  too  much  for 
me,"  he  said  to  himself.  "He  outwits  me  in  everything; 
even  my  plot  against  Nobunaga  has  not  escaped  his 
notice."  Then,  turning  to  Tokichi,  he  exclaimed:  "You 
astound  me  by  your  sharpness.  It  is  as  you  say ;  and  as 
my  contemplated  crime  is  discovered,  please  to  cut  off 
my  head  and  take  it  to  Nobunaga." 

"Nobunaga  has  no  wish  to  kill  you,  or  he  would  have 
done  it  before,"  replied  Tokichi.  "You  are  serving  a 
wicked  master  —  a  man  who  has  been  guilty  of  parenti- 
cide; and  this  being  so,  in  serving  him  you  are  offending 

340 


LONG  SPEARS  OR  SHORT  SPEARS 

against  Heaven.  Your  life  Nobunaga  does  not  seek,  but 
your  reform  he  does.  If  you  will  give  up  serving  this 
wicked  man  and  enlist  in  the  service  of  Lord  Oda,  then 
I  have  orders  from  him  to  deal  leniently  with  you." 

Mondo,  still  more  impressed  by  this  treatment,  agreed 
to  follow  Tokichi  the  rest  of  his  days.  Whereupon  To- 
kichi  took  Mondo  to  Nobunaga  and  told  him  what  had 
happened;  and  Mondo  swore  fealty  to  his  new  master. 
Being  thoroughly  acquainted  with  Saito's  affairs,  subse- 
quently, when  Nobunaga  made  war  on  that  baron,  he 
rendered  him  great  assistance. 

Here  again  Tokichi  displayed  that  magnanimity  which 
distinguished  his  whole  career.  And  the  testing  of  the 
spears  proved  to  be  the  means  of  revealing  the  respective 
characters  of  the  two  men  that  wielded  them. 


HOW  A  MAN  BECAME  A   GOD 

BY   LAFCADIO  HEARN 

Before  telling  the  story  of  Hamaguchi  Gohei,  I  must 
say  a  few  words  about  certain  laws  —  or,  more  correctly 
speaking,  customs  having  all  the  force  of  laws  —  by 
which  many  village  communities  were  ruled  in  pre- 
Meiji  times.  These  customs  were  based  upon  the  social 
experience  of  ages;  and  though  they  differed  in  minor 
details  according  to  province  or  district,  their  main  sig- 
nification was  everywhere  about  the  same.  Some  were 
ethical,  some  industrial,  some  religious;  and  all  matters 
were  regulated  by  them,  —  even  individual  behavior. 
They  preserved  peace,  and  they  compelled  mutual  help 
and  mutual  kindness.  Sometimes  there  might  be  serious 
fighting  between  different  villages,  —  little  peasant  wars 
about  questions  of  water  supply  or  boundaries ;  but  quar- 
reling between  men  of  the  same  community  could  not 
be  tolerated  in  an  age  of  vendetta,  and  the  whole  village 
would  resent  any  needless  disturbance  of  the  internal 
peace.  To  some  degree  this  state  of  things  still  exists 
in  the  more  old-fashioned  provinces:  the  people  know 
how  to  live  without  quarreling,  not  to  say  fighting.  Any- 
where, as  a  general  rule,  Japanese  fight  only  to  kill;  and 
when  a  sober  man  goes  so  far  as  to  strike  a  blow,  he  vir- 
tually rejects  communal  protection,  and  takes  his  life 
into  his  own  hands  with  every  probability  of  losing  it. 

The  obligation  of  mutual  help  in  time  of  calamity  or 
danger  was  the  most  imperative  of  all  communal  obliga- 

342 


HOW  A   MAN   BECAME   A   GOD 

tions.  In  case  of  fire,  especially,  everybody  was  required 
to  give  immediate  aid  to  the  best  of  his  or  her  ability. 
Even  children  were  not  exempted  from  this  duty.  In 
towns  and  cities,  of  course,  things  were  differently  or- 
dered; but  in  any  little  country  village  the  universal 
duty  was  very  plain  and  simple,  and  its  neglect  would 
have  been  considered  unpardonable. 

A  curious  fact  is  that  this  obligation  of  mutual  help 
extended  to  rehgious  matters:  everybody  was  expected 
to  invoke  the  help  of  the  gods  for  the  sick  or  the  unfor- 
tunate, whenever  asked  to  do  so.  For  example,  the  vil- 
lage might  be  ordered  to  make  a  sendo-mairi  ^  on  behalf 
of  some  one  seriously  ill.  On  such  occasions  the  Kumi- 
cho  (each  Kumi-cho  was  responsible  for  the  conduct  of 
five  or  more  families)  would  run  from  house  to  house 
crying,  " Such  and  such  a  one  is  very  sick:  kindly  hasten 
all  to  make  a  sendo-mairi!"  Thereupon,  however  occu- 
pied at  the  moment,  every  soul  in  the  settlement  was 
expected  to  hurry  to  the  temple,  —  taking  care  not  to 
trip  or  stumble  on  the  way,  as  a  single  misstep  during 
the  performance  of  a  sendo-mairi  was  believed  to  mean 
misfortune  for  the  sick.  .  .  . 

Now  concerning  Hamaguchi. 

From  immemorial  time  the  shores  of  Japan  have  been 

swept,  at  irregular  intervals  of  centuries,  by  enormous 

tidal  waves,  —  tidal  waves  caused  by  earthquakes  or  by 

*  To  perform  a  sendo-mairi  means  to  make  one  thousand  visits  to  a 
temple,  and  to  repeat  one  thousand  invocations  to  the  deity.  But  it  is 
considered  necessary  only  to  go  from  the  gate  or  the  torii  of  the  temple 
court  to  the  place  of  prayer,  and  back,  one  thousand  times,  repeating  the 
invocation  each  time;  and  the  task  may  be  divided  among  any  number 
of  persons,  —  ten  visits  by  one  hundred  persons,  for  instance,  being 
quite  as  efficacious  as  a  thousand  visits  by  a  single  person. 

343 


JAPAN 

submarine  volcanic  action.  These  awful  sudden  risings 
of  the  sea  are  called  by  the  Japanese  tsunami.  The  last 
one  occurred  on  the  evening  of  June  17,  1896,  when  a 
wave  nearly  two  hundred  miles  long  struck  the  north- 
eastern provinces  of  Miyagi,  Iwate,  and  Aomori,  wreck- 
ing scores  of  towns  and  villages,  ruining  whole  districts, 
and  destroying  nearly  thirty  thousand  human  lives.  The 
story  of  Hamaguchi  Gohei  is  the  story  of  a  like  calamity 
which  happened  long  before  the  era  of  Meiji,  on  another 
part  of  the  Japanese  coast. 

He  was  an  old  man  at  the  time  of  the  occurrence  that 
made  him  famous.  He  was  the  most  influential  resident 
of  the  village  to  which  he  belonged :  he  had  been  for  many 
years  its  muraosa,  or  head  man ;  and  he  was  not  less  liked 
than  respected.  The  people  usually  called  him  Ojiisan, 
which  means  Grandfather ;  but,  being  the  richest  member 
of  the  community,  he  was  sometimes  officially  referred 
to  as  the  Choja.  He  used  to  advise  the  smaller  farmers 
about  their  interests,  to  arbitrate  their  disputes,  to  ad- 
vance them  money  at  need,  and  to  dispose  of  their  rice 
for  them  on  the  best  terms  possible. 

Hamaguchi's  big  thatched  farmhouse  stood  at  the 
verge  of  a  small  plateau  overlooking  a  bay.  The  plateau, 
mostly  devoted  to  rice  culture,  was  hemmed  in  on  three 
sides  by  thickly  wooded  summits.  From  its  outer  verge 
the  land  sloped  down  in  a  huge  green  concavity,  as  if 
scooped  out,  to  the  edge  of  the  water;  and  the  whole  of 
this  slope,  some  three  quarters  of  a  mile  long,  was  so 
terraced  as  to  look,  when  viewed  from  the  open  sea,  like 
an  enormous  flight  of  green  steps,  divided  in  the  center 
by  a  narrow  white  zigzag,  —  a  streak  of  mountain  road. 
Ninety  thatched  dwellings  and  a  Shinto  temple,  com- 

344 


HOW   A   MAN   BECAME   A   GOD 

posing  the  village  proper,  stood  along  the  curve  of  the 
bay;  and  other  houses  climbed  straggling  up  the  slope 
for  some  distance  on  either  side  of  the  narrow  road 
leading  to  the  Choja's  home. 

One  autumn  evening  Hamaguchi  Gohei  was  looking 
down  from  the  balcony  of  his  house  at  some  prepara- 
tions for  a  merry-making  in  the  village  below.  There 
had  been  a  very  fine  rice-crop,  and  the  peasants  were 
going  to  celebrate  their  harvest  by  a  dance  in  the  court 
of  the  ujigami}  The  old  man  could  see  the  festival 
banners  (nobori)  fluttering  above  the  roofs  of  the  soli- 
tary street,  the  strings  of  paper  lanterns  festooned  be- 
tween bamboo  poles,  the  decorations  of  the  shrine,  and 
the  brightly  colored  gathering  of  the  young  people.  He 
had  nobody  with  him  that  evening  but  his  little  grand- 
son, a  lad  of  ten ;  the  rest  of  the  household  having  gone 
early  to  the  village.  He  would  have  accompanied  them 
had  he  not  been  feehng  less  strong  than  usual. 

The  day  had  been  oppressive;  and  in  spite  of  a  rising 
breeze  there  was  still  in  the  air  that  sort  of  heavy  heat 
which,  according  to  the  experience  of  the  Japanese 
peasant,  at  certain  seasons  precedes  an  earthquake. 
And  presently  an  earthquake  came.  It  was  not  strong 
enough  to  frighten  anybody;  but  Hamaguchi,  who  had 
felt  hundreds  of  shocks  in  his  time,  thought  it  was  queer, 
—  a  long,  slow,  spongy  motion.  Probably  it  was  but  the 
after-tremor  of  some  immense  seismic  action  very  far 
away.  The  house  crackled  and  rocked  gently  several 
times;  then  all  became  still  again. 

As  the  quaking  ceased  Hamaguchi's  keen  old  eyes 

^  Shinto  parish  temple. 
345 


JAPAN 

were  anxiously  turned  toward  the  village.  It  often  hap- 
pens that  the  attention  of  a  person  gazing  fixedly  at  a 
particular  spot  or  object  is  suddenly  diverted  by  the  sense 
of  something  not  knowingly  seen  at  all,  —  by  a  mere 
vague  feeling  of  the  unfamiliar  in  that  dim  outer  circle 
of  unconscious  perception  which  lies  beyond  the  field 
of  clear  vision.  Thus  it  chanced  that  Hamaguchi  be- 
came aware  of  something  unusual  in  the  offing.  He  rose 
to  his  feet,  and  looked  at  the  sea.  It  had  darkened  quite 
suddenly,  and  it  was  acting  strangely.  It  seemed  to 
be  moving  against  the  wind.  It  was  running  away  from 
the  land. 

Within  a  very  little  time  the  whole  village  had  noticed 
the  phenomenon.  Apparently  no  one  had  felt  the  pre- 
vious motion  of  the  ground,  but  all  were  evidently 
astounded  by  the  movement  of  the  water.  They  were 
running  to  the  beach,  and  even  beyond  the  beach,  to 
watch  it.  No  such  ebb  had  been  witnessed  on  that  coast 
within  the  memory  of  living  man.  Things  never  seen 
before  were  making  apparition;  unfamiliar  spaces  of 
ribbed  sand  and  reaches  of  weed-hung  rock  were  left 
bare  even  as  Hamaguchi  gazed.  And  none  of  the  people 
below  appeared  to  guess  what  that  monstrous  ebb  sig- 
nified. 

Hamaguchi  Gohei  himself  had  never  seen  such  a  thing 
before;  but  he  remembered  things  told  him  in  his  child- 
hood by  his  father's  father,  and  he  knew  all  the  tradi- 
tions of  the  coast.  He  understood  what  the  sea  was  going 
to  do.  Perhaps  he  thought  of  the  time  needed  to  send  a 
message  to  the  village,  or  to  get  the  priests  of  the  Bud- 
dhist temple  on  the  hill  to  sound  their  big  bell.  .  .  .  But  it 
would  take  very  much  longer  to  tell  what  he  might  have 

346 


HOW   A  MAN   BECAME   A   GOD 

thought  than  it  took  him  to  think.  He  simply  called  to 
his  grandson:  — 

"Tada!  —  quick,  —  very  quick!  .  .  .  Light  me  a 
torch." 

Taimatsu,  or  pine  torches,  are  kept  in  many  coast 
dwellings  for  use  on  stormy  nights,  and  also  for  use  at 
certain  Shinto  festivals.  The  child  kindled  a  torch  at 
once;  and  the  old  man  hurried  with  it  to  the  fields,  where 
hundreds  of  rice-stacks,  representing  most  of  his  invested 
capital,  stood  awaiting  transportation.  Approaching 
those  nearest  the  verge  of  the  slope,  he  began  to  apply 
the  torch  to  them,  —  hurrying  from  one  to  another  as 
quickly  as  his  aged  limbs  could  carry  him.  The  sun-dried 
stalks  caught  like  tinder;  the  strengthening  sea-breeze 
blew  the  blaze  landward;  and  presently,  rank  behind 
rank,  the  stacks  burst  into  flame,  sending  skyward 
columns  of  smoke  that  met  and  mingled  into  one  enor- 
mous cloudy  whirl.  Tada,  astonished  and  terrified,  ran 
after  his  grandfather,  crying,  — 

"Ojiisan!  why?  Ojiisan!  why?  —  why?" 

But  Hamaguchi  did  not  answer:  he  had  no  time  to 
explain;  he  was  thinking  only  of  the  four  hundred  lives 
in  peril.  For  a  while  the  child  stared  wildly  at  the  blaz- 
ing rice;  then  burst  into  tears,  and  ran  back  to  the  house, 
feeling  sure  that  his  grandfather  had  gone  mad,  Hama- 
guchi went  on  firing  stack  after  stack,  till  he  had  reached 
the  limit  of  his  field;  then  he  threw  down  his  torch,  and 
waited.  The  acolyte  of  the  hill- temple,  observing  the 
blaze,  set  the  big  bell  booming;  and  the  people  responded 
to  the  double  appeal.  Hamaguchi  watched  them  hurr}^- 
ing  in  from  the  sands  and  over  the  beach  and  up  from 
the  village,  like  a  swarming  of  ants,  and,  to  his  anxious 

347 


JAPAN 

eyes,  scarcely  faster;  for  the  moments  seemed  terribly 
long  to  him.  The  sun  was  going  down;  the  wrinkled  bed 
of  the  bay,  and  a  vast  sallow  speckled  expanse  beyond 
it,  lay  naked  to  the  last  orange  glow;  and  still  the  sea 
was  fleeing  toward  the  horizon. 

Really,  however,  Hamaguchi  did  not  have  very  long 
to  wait  before  the  first  party  of  succor  arrived,  —  a  score 
of  agile  young  peasants,  who  wanted  to  attack  the  fire 
at  once.  But  the  Choja,  holding  out  both  arms,  stopped 
them. 

"Let  it  burn,  lads!"  he  commanded,  —  "let  it  be! 
I  want  the  whole  mura  here.  There  is  a  great  danger,  — 
taihen  da!" 

The  whole  village  was  coming;  and  Hamaguchi 
counted.  All  the  young  men  and  boys  were  soon  on  the 
spot,  and  not  a  few  of  the  more  active  women  and  girls; 
then  came  most  of  the  older  folk,  and  mothers  with 
babies  at  their  backs,  and  even  children,  —  for  children 
could  help  to  pass  water;  and  the  elders  too  feeble  to 
keep  up  with  the  first  rush  could  be  seen  well  on  their 
way  up  the  steep  ascent.  The  growing  multitude,  still 
knowing  nothing,  looked  alternately,  in  sorrowful  won- 
der, at  the  flaming  fields  and  at  the  impassive  face  of 
their  Choja.   And  the  sun  went  down. 

"  Grandfather  is  mad,  —  I  am  afraid  of  him!"  sobbed 
Tada,  in  answer  to  a  number  of  questions.  "He  is  mad. 
He  set  fire  to  the  rice  on  purpose:  I  saw  him  do  it!" 

"As  for  the  rice,"  cried  Hamaguchi,  "the  child  tells 
the  truth.  I  set  fire  to  the  rice.  .  .  .  Are  all  the  people 
here?" 

The  Kumi-cho  and  the  heads  of  families  looked  about 
them,  and  down  the  hill,  and  made  reply:  "All  are  here, 

348 


HOW   A   MAN   BECAME   A   GOD 

or  very  soon  will  be.  .  .  .  We  cannot  understand  this 
thing." 

"Kita!"  shouted  the  old  man  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
pointing  to  the  open.   "Say  now  if  I  be  mad!" 

Through  the  twilight  eastward  all  looked,  and  saw  at 
the  edge  of  the  dusky  horizon  a  long,  lean,  dim  line  like 
the  shadowing  of  a  coast  where  no  coast  ever  was,  —  a 
line  that  thickened  as  they  gazed,  that  broadened  as 
a  coast-line  broadens  to  the  eyes  of  one  approaching  it, 
yet  incomparably  more  quickly.  For  that  long  darkness 
was  the  returning  sea,  towering  like  a  cliff,  and  coursing 
more  swiftly  than  the  kite  flies. 

"  Tsunami! "  shrieked  the  people,  and  then  all  shrieks 
and  all  sounds  and  all  power  to  hear  sounds  were  anni- 
hilated by  a  nameless  shock  heavier  than  any  thunder, 
as  the  colossal  swell  smote  the  shore  with  a  weight  that 
sent  a  shudder  through  the  hills,  and  with  a  foam-burst 
like  a  blaze  of  sheet-lightning.  Then  for  an  instant  no- 
thing was  visible  but  a  storm  of  spray  rushing  up  the 
slope  like  a  cloud;  and  the  people  scattered  back  in  panic 
from  the  mere  menace  of  it.  When  they  looked  again, 
they  saw  a  white  horror  of  sea  raving  over  the  place  of 
their  homes.  It  drew  back  roaring,  and  tearing  out  the 
bowels  of  the  land  as  it  went.  Twice,  thrice,  five  times 
the  sea  struck  and  ebbed,  but  each  time  with  lesser 
surges :  then  it  returned  to  its  ancient  bed  and  stayed, 
—  still  raging,  as  after  a  typhoon. 

On  the  plateau  for  a  time  there  was  no  word  spoken. 
All  stared  speechlessly  at  the  desolation  beneath,  —  the 
ghastliness  of  hurled  rock  and  naked  riven  cliff,  the  be- 
wilderment of  scooped-up  deep-sea  wrack  and  shingle 
shot  over  the  empty  site  of  dwelling  and  temple.    The 

349 


JAPAN 

village  was  not;  the  greater  part  of  the  fields  were  not; 
even  the  terraces  had  ceased  to  exist;  and  of  all  the 
homes  that  had  been  about  the  bay  there  remained  no- 
thing recognizable  except  two  straw  roofs  tossing  madly 
in  the  offing.  The  after-terror  of  the  death  escaped  and 
the  stupefaction  of  the  general  loss  kept  all  lips  dumb, 
until  the  voice  of  Hamaguchi  was  heard  again,  observing 
gently,  — 

"  That  was  why  I  set  fire  to  the  rice." 

He,  their  Choja,  now  stood  among  them  almost  as 
poor  as  the  poorest;  for  his  wealth  was  gone  —  but  he 
had  saved  four  hundred  lives  by  the  sacrifice.  Little 
Tada  ran  to  him,  and  caught  his  hand,  and  asked  for- 
giveness for  having  said  naughty  things.  Whereupon 
the  people  woke  up  to  the  knowledge  of  why  they  were 
alive,  and  began  to  wonder  at  the  simple,  unselfish  fore- 
sight that  had  saved  them ;  and  the  head  men  prostrated 
themselves  in  the  dust  before  Hamaguchi  Gohei,  and 
the  people  after  them. 

Then  the  old  man  wept  a  little,  partly  because  he  was 
happy,  and  partly  because  he  was  aged  and  weak  and 
had  been  sorely  tried. 

"My  house  remains,"  he  said,  as  soon  as  he  could  find 
words,  automatically  caressing  Tada's  brown  cheeks; 
"and  there  is  room  for  many.  Also  the  temple  on  the 
hill  stands;  and  there  is  shelter  there  for  the  others." 

Then  he  led  the  way  to  his  house;  and  the  people  cried 
and  shouted. 

The  period  of  distress  was  long,  because  in  those  days 
there  were  no  means  of  quick  communication  between 
district  and  district,  and  the  help  needed  had  to  be  sent 

350 


HOW   A  MAN   BECAME   A   GOD 

from  far  away.  But  when  better  times  came,  the  people 
did  not  forget  their  debt  to  Hamaguchi  Gohei.  They 
could  not  make  him  rich;  nor  would  he  have  suffered 
them  to  do  so,  even  had  it  been  possible.  Moreover, 
gifts  could  never  have  sufi&ced  as  an  expression  of  their 
reverential  feehng  towards  him;  for  they  believed  that 
the  ghost  within  him  was  divine.  So  they  declared  him  a 
god,  and  thereafter  called  him  Hamaguchi  Daimyojin, 
thinking  they  could  give  him  no  greater  honor;  —  and 
truly  no  greater  honor  in  any  country  could  be  given  to 
mortal  man.  And  when  they  rebuilt  the  village,  they 
built  a  temple  to  the  spirit  of  him,  and  fixed  about  the 
front  of  it  a  tablet  bearing  his  name  in  Chinese  text  of 
gold;  and  they  worshiped  him  there,  with  prayer  and 
with  offerings.  How  he  felt  about  it  I  cannot  say;  —  I 
know  only  that  he  continued  to  live  in  his  old  thatched 
home  upon  the  hill,  with  his  children  and  his  children's 
children,  just  as  humanly  and  simply  as  before,  while  his 
soul  was  being  worshiped  in  the  shrine  below.  A  hun- 
dred years  and  more  he  has  been  dead ;  but  his  temple, 
they  tell  me,  still  stands,  and  the  people  still  pray  to  the 
ghost  of  the  good  old  farmer  to  help  them  in  time  of  fear 
or  trouble. 


RIBS  AND   SKIN 

[Between  the  classical  dramas  in  meter  it  is  the  custom  of 
the  Japanese  to  introduce  a  little  prose  comedy  like  the 
following. 

The  Editor.] 

Dramatis  PersoncB 

The  Rector  of  a  Buddhist  Temple.    His  Curate. 
Three  of  the  Parishioners 

Scene.  —  The  Temple 

Rector.  I  am  rector  of  this  temple.  I  have  to  call  my 
curate,  to  make  a  communication  to  him.  Curate!  are 
you  there?  are  you  there?  halloo! 

Curate.  Here  am  I!  What  is  your  reason  for  being 
pleased  to  call  me? 

Rector.  My  reason  for  calling  you  is  just  simply  this: 
I,  unworthy  priest,  am  already  stricken  in  years,  and 
the  duties  of  the  temple  service  weigh  heavily  upon  me. 
So,  do  you  please  to  understand  that,  from  to-day,  I 
resign  this  benefice  in  your  favor. 

Curate.  I  feel  deeply  indebted  [to  your  reverence]. 
But  as  I  am  still  deficient  in  learning,  and  as,  moreover, 
no  time,  however  late,  would  seem  too  late  to  me,  I  beg 
of  you  to  be  so  kind  as  to  delay  this  change. 

Rector.  Nothing  could  please  me  more  than  your  most 
charming  answer.  But  [you  must  know  that],  though 
retiring  from  the  rectorship,  I  do  not  intend  to  leave 
the  temple.  I  shall  simply  take  up  my  abode  in  the  back 

352 


RIBS   AND   SKIN 

apartment;  so,  if  there  should  be  any  business  of  any 
kind,  please  to  let  me  know. 

Curate.  Well,  if  it  must  be  so,  I  will  act  in  accord- 
ance with  your  august  desire. 

Rector.  And  mind  (though  it  will  scarcely  be  neces- 
sary for  me  to  say  so)  that  you  do  everything  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  please  the  parishioners,  and  make  the  tem- 
ple prosperous. 

Curate.  Pray  feel  no  uneasiness  [on  that  head] !  I  will 
do  things  in  such  a  way  as  to  please  the  parishioners 
right  well. 

Rector.  Well,  then,  I  retire  without  further  delay.  So, 
if  there  should  be  anything  you  want  to  ask,  come  and 
call  me. 

Curate.  Your  commands  are  laid  to  heart. 

Rector.  And  if  any  parishioner  should  call,  please  to 
let  me  know. 

Curate.  Your  injunctions  shall  be  kept  in  mind.  — 
Ha !  ha !  this  is  delightful !  To  think  of  the  joy  of  his  ced- 
ing the  benefice  to  me  to-day,  just  as  I  was  saying  to  my- 
self, "When  will  the  rector  resign  in  my  favor?  when  will 
he  resign  in  my  favor?"  The  parishioners,  when  they 
hear  of  it,  are  sure  to  be  charmed ;  so  I  mean  to  manage 
in  such  a  way  as  to  give  them  all  satisfaction. 

First  Parishioner.  I  am  a  resident  in  this  neighbor- 
hood. I  am  on  my  way  to  a  certain  place  on  business; 
but,  as  it  has  suddenly  begun  to  threaten  rain,  I  think 
I  will  look  in  at  the  parish  temple,  and  borrow  an  um- 
brella.  Ah,  here  it  is!  Hoy!  admittance! 

Curate.  Oh!  there  is  some  one  hallooing  at  the  gate! 
Who  is  that  asking  for  admittance?  Who  is  that  hal- 
looing? 

353 


JAPAN 

First  Par.  It  is  I. 

Curate.  Oh!  you  are,  indeed,  welcome! 

First  Par.  It  is  long  since  I  last  had  the  honor  of  com- 
ing to  inquire  after  you;  but  I  trust  that  the  worthy 
rector  and  yourself  are  still  in  the  enjoyment  of  good 
health. 

Curate.  Oh,  yes!  we  both  continue  well.  But  I  must 
tell  you  that,  moved  by  some  impulse  or  other,  my  mas- 
ter has  deigned  to  resign  the  benefice  in  my  favor.  So  I 
pray  that  you  will  continue  as  heretofore  to  honor  our 
temple  with  your  visits. 

First  Par.  That  is  an  auspicious  event;  and  if  I  have 
not  been  [before]  to  offer  my  congratulations,  it  is  be- 
cause I  was  not  apprised  of  it.  Well!  my  present  reason 
for  calling  is  just  simply  this:  I  am  off  to-day  to  a  cer- 
tain place;  but  as  it  has  suddenly  begun  to  threaten 
rain,  I  should  feel  much  obliged  if  you  would  kindly 
condescend  to  lend  me  an  umbrella. 

Curate.  Certainly!  Nothing  easier!  I  will  have  the 
honor  to  lend  it  to  you.   Please  wait  here  an  instant. 

First  Par.  Oh!  very  many  thanks. 

Curate.  Here,  then!  I  will  have  the  honor  to  lend  you 
this  one. 

First  Par.  Oh !  I  owe  you  very  many  thanks. 

Curate.  Please  always  tell  me  if  there  is  anything  of 
any  kind  that  I  can  do  for  you. 

First  Par.  Certainly!  I  will  call  in  your  assistance. 
[But]  now  I  will  be  off. 

Curate.  Are  you  going? 

First  Par.  Yes.    Good-bye! 

Curate.  Good-bye! 

First  Par.  I  am  much  indebted  to  you. 

354 


RIBS   AND   SKIN 

Curate.  Thanks  for  your  visit. 

First  Par.  Ah !  well !  that  is  all  right !  I  will  hasten  on. 

Curate.  As  he  said  I  was  to  let  him  know  if  any  of  the 
parishioners  came,  I  will  go  and  tell  him  what  has  passed. 
Pray!  are  you  in? 

Rector.  Oh !  that  is  you ! 

Curate.  How  dull  your  reverence  must  be  feeling! 

Rector.  No,  I  am  not  dull. 

Curate.  Somebody  has  just  been  here. 

Rector.  Did  he  come  to  worship,  or  was  it  that  he  had 
business  with  us? 

Curate.  He  came  to  borrow  an  umbrella;  so  I  lent  him 
one. 

Rector.  Quite  right  of  you  to  lend  it.  But  tell  me, 
which  umbrella  did  you  lend? 

Curate.  I  lent  the  one  that  came  home  new  the  other 
day. 

Rector.  What  a  thoughtless  fellow  you  are!  Would 
anybody  ever  dream  of  lending  an  umbrella  like  that  one, 
that  had  not  even  been  once  used  yet?  The  case  will  pre- 
sent itself  again.  When  you  do  not  want  to  lend  it,  you 
can  make  an  excuse. 

Curate.  How  would  you  say? 

Rector.  You  should  say :  "The  request  with  which  you 
honor  me  is  a  slight  one.  But  a  day  or  two  ago  my  master 
went  out  with  it,  and  meeting  with  a  gust  of  wind  at  a 
place  where  four  roads  met,  the  ribs  flew  off  on  one  side, 
and  the  skin  on  another.  So  we  have  tied  both  skin  and 
ribs  by  the  middle,  and  hung  them  up  to  the  ceiling. 
This  being  so,  it  would  hardly  be  able  to  answer  your 
purpose."  Something  like  that,  something  with  an  air 
of  truth  about  it,  is  what  you  should  say. 

355 


Good-bye!  good-bye 


JAPAN 

Curate.  Your  injunctions  shall  be  kept  in  mind,  and 
I  will  make  that  answer  another  time.  —  Now  I  will  be 
going. 

Rector.  Are  you  off? 

Curate.  Yes. 

Rector. 

Curate. 

Curate.  What  can  this  mean?  Let  my  master  say 
what  he  likes,  it  does  seem  strange  to  refuse  to  lend  a 
thing  when  you  have  it  by  you. 

Second  Parishioner.  I  am  a  resident  in  this  neighbor- 
hood. As  I  am  going  on  a  long  journey  to-day,  I  mean  to 
go  to  the  parish  temple  and  borrow  a  horse.  —  I  will  go 
quickly.  Ah !  here  it  is !  Hoy !  admittance ! 

Curate.  There  is  some  one  hallooing  at  the  gate  again! 
Who  is  that  asking  for  admittance?  Who  is  that  halloo- 
ing? 

Second  Par.  It  is  I. 

Curate.  Oh!  you  are,  indeed,  most  welcome! 

Secojtd  Par.  My  present  reason  for  calling  is  just 
simply  this:  I  am  off  to-day  on  a  long  journey,  and 
(though  it  is  a  bold  request  to  make)  I  should  feel  much 
obliged  if  you  would  condescend  to  lend  me  a  horse. 

Curate.  Nothing  could  be  slighter  than  the  request 
with  which  you  honor  me.  But  a  day  or  two  ago  my  mas- 
ter went  out  with  it,  and  meeting  with  a  gust  of  wind  at 
a  place  where  four  roads  met,  the  ribs  flew  off  on  one 
side,  and  the  skin  on  another.  So  we  have  tied  both  skin 
and  ribs  by  the  middle,  and  hung  them  up  to  the  ceihng. 
This  being  so,  it  would  hardly  be  able  to  answer  your 
purpose. 

Second  Par.  Why!  it  is  a  horse  that  I  am  asking  for! 

356 


RIBS  AND   SKIN 

Curate.  Yes,  certainly !  a  horse. 

Second  Par.  Oh,  well!  then  there  is  no  help  for  it.  I 
will  be  off. 

Curate.  Are  you  going? 

Second  Par.  Yes.    Good-bye! 

Curate.  Good-bye!   Thanks  for  your  visit. 

Second  Par.  Well!  I  never!  He  says  things  that  I 
cannot  in  the  least  make  out. 

Curate.  I  spoke  as  my  master  had  instructed  me;  so 
doubtless  he  will  be  pleased.   Pray!  Are  you  in? 

Rector.  Oh!  that  is  you!  Is  it  on  business  that  you 
come? 

Curate.  Somebody  has  just  been  here  to  borrow  our 
horse. 

Rector.  And  you  lent  him,  as  he  fortunately  happened 
to  be  disengaged? 

Curate.  Oh,  no!  I  did  not  lend  it,  but  replied  in  the 
manner  you  had  taught  me. 

Rector.  What!  I  do  not  remember  saying  anything 
about  the  horse!  What  was  it  you  answered? 

Curate.  I  said  that  you  had  been  out  with  it  a  day  or 
two  ago,  and  that,  meeting  with  a  gust  of  wind  at  a  place 
where  four  roads  met,  the  ribs  had  flown  off  on  one  side, 
and  the  skin  on  the  other,  which  being  the  case,  it  would 
hardly  be  able  to  answer  his  purpose. 

Rector.  What  do  you  mean?  It  was  if  they  came  to 
ask  for  an  umbrella  that  I  told  you  to  reply  like  that! 
[But]  would  anybody  ever  dream  of  saying  such  a  thing 
to  a  person  who  should  come  to  borrow  a  horse?  An- 
other time,  when  you  do  not  want  to  lend  it,  you  can 
make  a  [fitting]  excuse. 

Curate.  How  would  you  say? 

357 


JAPAN 

Rector.  You  should  say:  "We  lately  turned  him  out  to 
grass;  and,  becoming  frolicsome,  he  dislocated  his  thigh, 
and  is  lying  down  covered  with  straw  in  a  corner  of  the 
stable.  This  being  so,  he  will  hardly  be  able  to  answer 
your  purpose."  Something  like  that,  something  with  an 
air  of  truth  about  it,  is  what  you  should  say. 

Curate.  Your  injunctions  shall  be  kept  in  mind,  and 
I  will  make  use  of  them  next  time. 

Rector.  Be  sure  you  do  not  say  something  stupid! 

Curate.  What  can  this  mean?  To  say  a  thing  because 
he  tells  me  to  say  it,  and  then,  forsooth,  to  get  a  scolding 
for  it !  For  all  I  am  now  my  own  master,  I  see  no  way 
out  of  these  perplexities. 

Third  Parishioner.  I  am  a  resident  in  this  neighbor- 
hood, and  am  on  my  way  to  the  parish  temple,  where  I 
have  some  business.  Well,  I  will  make  haste.  Ah!  here 
I  am !  Hoy !  admittance ! 

Curate.  There  is  some  one  hallooing  at  the  gate  again ! 
Who  is  that  asking  for  admittance?  Who  is  that  halloo- 
ing? 

Third  Par.  It  is  I. 

Curate.  Oh!  a  hearty  welcome  to  you! 

Third  Par.  It  is  long  since  I  last  had  the  honor  of 
coming  to  inquire  after  you;  but  I  trust  that  the  worthy 
rector  and  yourself  are  still  in  the  enjoyment  of  good 
health. 

Curate.  Oh,  yes!  we  both  continue  well.  But  by  the 
way,  my  master,  moved  by  some  impulse  or  other,  has 
designed  to  resign  the  benefice  in  my  favor.  So  I  pray 
that  you  will  continue  to  honor  our  temple  with  your 
visits. 

Third  Par.  That  is  an  auspicious  event;  and  if  I  have 

3S8 


RIBS  AND   SKIN 

not  been  already  to  offer  my  congratulations,  it  is  be- 
cause I  was  not  apprised  of  it.  To-morrow  being  a  re- 
ligious anniversary  [in  my  family],  I  should  feel  greatly 
obliged  if  our  worthy  rector  and  yourself  would  con- 
descend to  come  [to  my  house]. 

Curate.  For  myself  I  will  come,  but  my  master  will 
scarcely  be  able  to  do  so. 

Third  Par.  What !  has  he  any  other  business  on  hand? 

Curate.  No,  he  has  no  particular  business  on  hand; 
but  we  lately  turned  him  out  to  grass,  and,  becoming 
frolicsome,  he  dislocated  his  thigh,  and  is  lying  down 
covered  with  straw  in  a  corner  of  the  stable.  This  being 
so,  he  will  scarcely  be  able  to  come. 

Third  Par.  Why!  it  is  the  rector  that  I  am  talking 
about! 

Curate.  Yes,  certainly!  the  rector. 

Third  Par.  Well !  I  am  very  sorry  such  a  thing  should 
have  occurred.  At  any  rate,  do  you,  please,  be  so  kind 
as  to  come. 

Curate.  Most  certainly,  I  will  come. 

Third  Par.  Now  I  will  be  off. 

Curate.  Are  you  going? 

Third  Par.  Yes.    Good-bye! 

Curate.  Good-bye!   Thanks  for  your  visit. 

Third  Par.  Well!  I  never!  He  says  things  that  I  can- 
not in  the  least  make  out. 

Curate.  This  time,  at  all  events,  he  will  be  pleased. 
Pray!  are  you  in? 

Rector.  Oh!  that  is  you!  Is  it  on  business  that  you 
come? 

Curate.  Somebody  has  just  been  here  to  ask  both 
your  reverence  and  myself  to  go  to  him  to-morrow,  when 

359 


JAPAN 

there  is  a  religious  anniversary  [in  his  family].  So  I  said 
that  I  would  go,  but  that  you  would  scarcely  be  able  to 
do  so. 

Rector.  What  a  pity !  I  should  have  liked  tohavegone, 
as  I  just  happen  to  be  at  leisure  to-morrow. 

Curate.  Oh!  but  I  said  what  you  had  instructed  me 
to  say. 

Rector.  I  do  not  remember.  What  was  it,  then,  that 
you  answered? 

Curate.  I  said  that  we  had  lately  turned  you  out  to 
grass,  and  that,  becoming  frolicsome,  you  had  dislocated 
your  thigh,  and  were  lying  down  covered  with  straw 
in  a  corner  of  the  stable,  so  that  you  would  scarcely  be 
able  to  go. 

Rector.  You  really  and  truly  went  and  said  that? 

Curate.  Yes!  really  and  truly. 

Rector.  Well,  I  never!  You  are  an  idiot!  Speak  as  I 
may,  over  and  over  again,  nothing  seems  to  be  able  to 
make  you  understand.  It  was  if  they  came  to  borrow  a 
horse,  that  I  told  you  to  make  that  answer!  The  end  of 
all  this  is,  that  it  will  never  do  for  you  to  become  rector. 
Get  along  with  you ! 

Curate.  Oh! 

Rector.  Won't  you  get  along?  Won't  you  get  along? 
Won't  you  get  along? 

Curate.  Oh,  dear!  oh,  dear!  oh,  dear!  oh,  dear!  oh, 
dear!  But,  reverend  sir,  for  all  you  are  my  master,  it  is 
an  unheard-of  shame  for  you  to  beat  me  thus.  And  for 
all  you  are  the  man  you  are,  you  cannot  be  said  to  have 
been  without  your  frolics,  either,  —  that  you  cannot. 

Rector.  When  was  I  ever  frolicsome?  If  I  ever  was, 
out  with  it,  quick !  out  with  it,  quick ! 

360 


RIBS   AND   SKIN 

Curate.  If  I  were  to  tell  it,  you  would  be  put  to  shame. 

Rector.  I  am  conscious  of  nothing  that  could  put  me 
to  shame.  If  anything  there  be,  out  with  it,  quick !  out 
with  it,  quick ! 

Curate.  Well,  then,  I  '11  tell  it,  I  will. 

Rector.  Out  with  it,  quick ! 

Curate.  Well,  then!  [The  curate  here  whispers  a  bit 
of  scandal.] 

Rector.  Insolent  rascal,  inventing  things  that  I  never 
did,  and  bringing  shame  on  your  superior!  After  this, 
by  the  God  of  War  with  his  Bow  and  Arrows,  I  shall  not 
let  you  escape  me ! 

Curate.  For  all  you  are  my  master,  I  do  not  intend  to 
let  myself  get  the  worst  of  it. 

Both.  Ah!  ah!  ah!  {fighting). 

Curate.  Has  the  old  fool  learnt  a  lesson?  Oh!  oh!  I 
owglad!   I  aw  glad!   I've  beat!   I've  beat! 

Rector.  Deary,  deary  me!  where  is  he  off  to  after 
having  put  his  master  in  such  a  plight?  Is  there  nobody 
there?  Catch  him!  I  won't  let  him  escape!  I  won't  let 
him  escape! 


HOW  IT  WOULD  FEEL  TO  BE  A  SHINTO  GOD 

BY   LAFCADIO  HEARN 

Of  whatever  dimension,  the  temples  or  shrines  of  pure 
Shinto  are  all  built  in  the  same  archaic  style.  The  typi- 
cal shrine  is  a  windowless  oblong  building  of  unpainted 
timber,  with  a  very  steep  overhanging  roof;  the  front  is 
the  gable  end;  and  the  upper  part  of  the  perpetually 
closed  doors  is  wooden  lattice- work,  —  usually  a  grating 
of  bars  closely  set  and  crossing  each  other  at  right  an- 
gles. In  most  cases  the  structure  is  raised  sUghtly  above 
the  ground  on  wooden  pillars;  and  the  queer  peaked 
facade,  with  its  visor-like  apertures  and  the  fantastic 
projections  of  beam-work  above  its  gable-angle,  might 
remind  the  European  traveler  of  certain  old  Gothic 
forms  of  dormer.  There  is  no  artificial  color.  The  plain 
wood  soon  turns,  imder  the  action  of  rain  and  sun,  to  a 
natural  gray,  varying  according  to  surface  exposure 
from  the  silvery  tone  of  birch  bark  to  the  somber  gray  of 
basalt.  So  shaped  and  so  tinted,  the  isolated  country 
yashiro  may  seem  less  like  a  work  of  joinery  than  a  fea- 
ture of  the  scenery,  —  a  rural  form  related  to  nature  as 
closely  as  rocks  and  trees,  —  a  something  that  came  into 
existence  only  as  a  manifestation  of  Ohotsuchi-no- 
Kami,  the  Earth-god,  the  primeval  divinity  of  the  land. 
Why  certain  architectural  forms  produce  in  the  be- 
holder a  feeling  of  weirdness  is  a  question  about  which  I 
should  like  to  theorize  some  day:  at  present  I  shall  ven- 
ture only  to  say  that  Shinto  shrines  evoke  such  a  feeling. 

362 


HOW  IT  WOULD  FEEL  TO  BE  A  SHINTO  GOD 

It  grows  with  familiarity  instead  of  weakening;  and  a 
knowledge  of  popular  beliefs  is  apt  to  intensify  it.  We 
have  no  English  words  by  which  these  queer  shapes  can 
be  sufficiently  described,  —  much  less  any  language  able 
to  communicate  the  pecuhar  impression  which  they 
make.  Those  Shinto  terms  which  we  loosely  render  by 
the  words  "temple"  and  ''shrine"  are  really  untrans- 
latable ;  —  I  mean  that  the  Japanese  ideas  attaching  to 
them  cannot  be  conveyed  by  translation.  The  so-called 
''august  house"  of  the  Kami  is  not  so  much  a  temple,  in 
the  classic  meaning  of  the  term,  as  it  is  a  haunted  room, 
a  spirit-chamber,  a  ghost-house;  many  of  the  lesser 
divinities  being  veritably  ghosts,  —  ghosts  of  great  war- 
riors and  heroes  and  rulers  and  teachers,  who  lived  and 
loved  and  died  hundreds  or  thousands  of  years  ago.  I 
fancy  that  to  the  Western  mind  the  word  "ghost-house" 
will  convey,  better  than  such  terms  as  "shrine"  and 
"  temple,"  some  vague  notion  of  the  strange  character  of 
the  Shinto  miya  or  yashiro,  —  containing  in  its  perpetual 
dusk  nothing  more  substantial  than  symbols  or  tokens, 
the  latter  probably  of  paper.  Now  the  emptiness  behind 
the  visored  front  is  more  suggestive  than  anything  ma- 
terial could  possibly  be;  and  when  you  remember  that 
millions  of  people  during  thousands  of  years  have  wor- 
shiped their  great  dead  before  such  yashiro,  —  that  a 
whole  race  still  believes  those  buildings  tenanted  by 
viewless  conscious  personalities,  —  you  are  apt  also  to 
reflect  how  difficult  it  would  be  to  prove  the  faith 
absurd.  Nay!  in  spite  of  Occidental  reluctances,  — in 
spite  of  whatever  you  may  think  it  expedient  to  say  or 
not  to  say  at  a  later  time  about  the  experience,  —  you 
may  very  likely  find  yourself  for  a  moment  forced  into 

363 


JAPAN 

the  attitude  of  respect  toward  possibilities.  Mere  cold 
reasoning  will  not  help  you  far  in  the  opposite  direction. 
The  evidence  of  the  senses  counts  for  little:  you  know 
there  are  ever  so  many  reahties  which  can  neither  be 
seen  nor  heard  nor  felt,  but  which  exist  as  forces,  —  tre- 
mendous forces.  Then  again  you  cannot  mock  the  con- 
viction of  forty  millions  of  people  while  that  conviction 
thrills  all  about  you  like  the  air,  —  while  conscious  that 
it  is  pressing  upon  your  psychical  being  just  as  the  atmos- 
phere presses  upon  your  physical  being.  As  for  myself, 
whenever  I  am  alone  in  the  presence  of  a  Shinto  shrine, 
I  have  the  sensation  of  being  haunted ;  and  I  cannot  help 
thinking  about  the  possible  apperceptions  of  the  haunter. 
And  this  tempts  me  to  fancy  how  I  should  feel  if  I 
myself  were  a  god,  —  dwelling  in  some  old  Izumo  shrine 
on  the  summit  of  a  hill,  guarded  by  stone  lions  and 
shadowed  by  a  holy  grove. 

Elfishly  small  my  habitation  might  be,  but  never  too 
small,  because  I  should  have  neither  size  nor  form.  I 
should  be  only  a  vibration,  —  a  motion  invisible  as  of 
ether  or  of  magnetism ;  though  able  sometimes  to  shape 
me  a  shadow-body,  in  the  likeness  of  my  former  visible 
self,  when  I  should  wish  to  make  apparition. 

As  air  to  the  bird,  as  water  to  the  fish,  so  would  all 
substance  be  permeable  to  the  essence  of  me.  I  should 
pass  at  will  through  the  walls  of  my  dwelling  to  swim  in 
the  long  gold  bath  of  a  sunbeam,  to  thrill  in  the  heart  of 
a  flower,  to  ride  on  the  neck  of  a  dragon  fly. 

Power  above  Hfe  and  power  over  death  would  be 
mine,  —  and  the  power  of  self-extension,  and  the  power 
of  self-multiplication,  and  the  power  of  being  in  all 
places  at  one  and  the  same  moment.  Simultaneously  in 

364 


HOW  IT  WOULD  FEEL  TO  BE  A  SHINTO  GOD 

a  hundred  homes  I  should  hear  myself  worshiped,  I 
should  inhale  the  vapor  of  a  hundred  offerings:  each 
evening,  from  my  place  within  a  hundred  household 
shrines,  I  should  see  the  holy  lights  lighted  for  me  in 
lamplets  of  red  clay,  in  lamplets  of  brass,  —  the  lights  of 
the  Kami,  kindled  with  purest  fire  and  fed  with  purest 
oil. 

But  in  my  yashiro  upon  the  hill  I  should  have  greatest 
honor:  there  betimes  I  should  gather  the  multitude  of 
my  selves  together;  there  should  I  unify  my  powers  to 
answer  supplication. 

From  the  dusk  of  my  ghost-house  I  should  look  for  the 
coming  of  sandaled  feet,  and  watch  brown  supple  fingers 
weaving  to  my  bars  the  knotted  papers  which  are 
records  of  vows,  and  observe  the  motion  of  the  lips  of 
my  worshipers  making  prayer :  — 

— "  Harai-tamai  kiyotne-tamaef  .  .  .  We  have  beaten 
drums,  we  have  lighted  fires;  yet  the  land  thirsts  and  the 
rice  fails.  Deign  out  of  thy  divine  pity  to  give  us  rain, 
O  Daimyojin!" 

— "Harai-tamai  kiyome-tamael  ...  I  am  dark,  too 
dark,  because  I  have  toiled  in  the  field,  because  the  sun 
hath  looked  upon  me.  Deign  thou  augustly  to  make  me 
white,  very  white,  —  white  like  the  women  of  the  city, 
O  Daimyojin!" 

—  "  Harai-tamai  kiyome-tamae!  .  .  .  For  Tsukamoto 
Motokichi  our  son,  a  soldier  of  twenty-nine :  that  he  may 
conquer  and  come  back  quickly  to  us,  —  soon,  very 
soon,  —  we  humbly  supplicate,  0  Daimyojin  1" 

365 


JAPAN 

Sometimes  a  girl  would  whisper  all  her  heart  to  me: 
"Maiden  of  eighteen  years,  I  am  loved  by  a  youth  of 
twenty.  He  is  good;  he  is  true;  but  poverty  is  with  us, 
and  the  path  of  our  love  is  dark.  Aid  us  with  thy  great 
divine  pity !  —  help  us  that  we  may  become  united,  O 
Daimyojin!"  Then  to  the  bars  of  my  shrine  she  would 
hang  a  thick  soft  tress  of  hair,  —  her  own  hair,  glossy 
and  black  as  the  wing  of  the  crow,  and  bound  with  a 
cord  of  mulberry-paper.  And  in  the  fragrance  of  that 
offering,  —  the  simple  fragrance  of  her  peasant  youth, 

—  I,  the  ghost  and  god,  should  find  again  the  feelings  of 
the  years  when  I  was  man  and  lover. 

Mothers  would  bring  their  children  to  my  threshold, 
and  teach  them  to  revere  me,  saying,  "  Bow  down  before 
the  great  bright  God;  make  homage  to  the  Daimyojin." 
Then  I  should  hear  the  fresh  soft  clapping  of  little 
hands,  and  remember  that  I,  the  ghost  and  god,  had 
been  a  father. 

Daily  I  should  hear  the  plash  of  pure  cool  water 
poured  out  for  me,  and  the  tinkle  of  thrown  coin,  and 
the  pattering  of  dry  rice  into  my  wooden  box,  like  a  pat- 
tering of  rain;  and  I  should  be  refreshed  by  the  spirit  of 
the  water,  and  strengthened  by  the  spirit  of  the  rice. 

Festivals  would  be  held  to  honor  me.  Priests,  black- 
coiffed  and  linen- vestured,  would  bring  me  offerings  of 
fruits  and  fish  and  seaweed  and  rice-cakes  and  rice- wine, 

—  masking  their  faces  with  sheets  of  white  paper,  so  as 
not  to  breathe  upon  my  food.  And  the  miko  their  daugh- 
ters, fair  girls  in  crimson  hakama  and  robes  of  snowy 
white,  would  come  to  dance  with  tinkHng  of  little  bells, 
with  waving  of  silken  fans,  that  I  might  be  gladdened  by 
the  bloom  of  their  youth,  that  I  might  delight  in  the 

366 


HOW  IT  WOULD  FEEL  TO  BE  A  SHINTO  GOD 

charm  of  their  grace.  And  there  would  be  music  of  many 
thousand  years  ago,  —  weird  music  of  drums  and  flutes, 
—  and  songs  in  a  tongue  no  longer  spoken;  while  the 
miko,  the  darlings  of  the  gods,  would  poise  and  pose 
before  me :  — 

..."  Whose  virgins  are  these,  —  the  virgins  who  stand 
like  flowers  before  the  Deity?  They  are  the  virgins  of  the 
august  Deity. 

"  The  august  music,  the  dancing  of  the  virgins,  —  the 
Deity  will  be  pleased  to  hear,  the  Deity  will  rejoice  to  see. 

^'Before  the  great  bright  God  the  virgins  dance,  —  the 
virgins  all  like  flowers  newly  opened."  .  .  . 

Votive  gifts  of  many  kinds  I  should  be  given :  painted 
paper  lanterns  bearing  my  sacred  name,  and  towels  of 
divers  colors  printed  with  the  number  of  the  years  of  the 
giver,  and  pictures  commemorating  the  fulfillment  of 
prayers  for  the  healing  of  sickness,  the  saving  of  ships, 
the  quenching  of  fire,  the  birth  of  sons. 

Also  my  Karashishi,  my  guardian  lions,  would  be  hon- 
ored. I  should  see  my  pilgrims  tying  sandals  of  straw  to 
their  necks  and  to  their  paws,  with  prayer  to  the 
Karashishi-Sama  for  strength  of  foot. 

I  should  see  fine  moss,  like  emerald  fur,  growing 
slowly,  slowly,  upon  the  backs  of  those  lions;  —  I  should 
see  the  sprouting  of  lichens  upon  their  flanks  and  upon 
their  shoulders,  in  specklings  of  dead-silver,  in  patches 
of  dead-gold;  —  I  should  watch,  through  years  of  gener- 
ations, the  gradual  sideward  sinking  of  their  pedestals 
undermined  by  frost  and  rain,  until  at  last  my  lions 
would  lose  their  balance,  and  fall,  and  break  their  mossy 

367 


JAPAN 

heads  off.  After  which  the  people  would  give  me  new 
lions  of  another  form,  —  lions  of  granite  or  of  bronze, 
with  gilded  teeth  and  gilded  eyes,  and  tails  like  a  tor- 
ment of  fire. 

Between  the  trunks  of  the  cedars  and  pines,  between 
the  jointed  columns  of  the  bamboos,  I  should  observe, 
season  after  season,  the  changes  of  the  colors  of  the 
valley:  the  falling  of  the  snow  of  winter  and  the  falling 
of  the  snow  of  cherry-flowers;  the  Hlac  spread  of  the 
miyakobana;  the  blazing  yellow  of  the  natane;  the  sky- 
blue  mirrored  in  flooded  levels,  —  levels  dotted  with  the 
moon-shaped  hats  of  the  toihng  people  who  would  love 
me;  and  at  last  the  pure  and  tender  green  of  the  growing 
rice. 

The  muku-hirds  and  the  uguisu  would  fill  the  shadows 
of  my  grove  with  ripplings  and  purlings  of  melody;  — 
the  bell-insects,  the  crickets,  and  the  seven  marvelous 
cicad;3e  of  summer  would  make  all  the  wood  of  my  ghost- 
house  thrill  to  their  musical  storms.  Betimes  I  should 
enter,  like  an  ecstasy,  into  the  tiny  lives  of  them,  to 
quicken  the  joy  of  their  clamor,  to  magnify  the  sonority 
of  their  song. 

But  I  never  can  become  a  god,  —  for  this  is  the  nine- 
teenth century;  and  nobody  can  be  really  aware  of  the 
nature  of  the  sensations  of  a  god  —  unless  there  be  gods 
in  the  flesh.  Are  there?  Perhaps  —  in  very  remote  dis- 
tricts —  one  or  two. 


INTERIOR   OF   A  JAPANESE   TEMPLE 


INTERIOR   OF  A  JAPANESE  TEMPLE 

The   Buddhist  temples  of  Japan   are  thus  described  by 
Sadakichi  Hartmann :  — 

"It  is  in  detail  that  the  Japanese  architect  most  excels, 
for  if  he  conceives  like  a  giant,  he  invariably  finishes  like  a 
jeweler.  Every  detail,  to  the  very  nails,  which  are  not  dull 
surfaces,  but  rendered  exquisite  ornaments,  is  a  work  of  art. 
Everywhere  we  encounter  friezes  and  carvings  in  relief,  rep- 
resenting, in  quaint  color  harmonies,  flowers  and  birds,  or 
heavenly  spirits  playing  upon  flutes  and  stringed  instru- 
ments. The  pavement  is  executed  in  colored  slabs,  and  the 
pillars  are  gilded  from  top  to  bottom.  Even  the  stairs  of 
some  temples  are  fashioned  of  gold-lacquer.  Gold  is  the 
neutral  color  of  Japanese  decoration. 

"  Some  of  the  temple  interiors  are  like  visions  of  the  Thou- 
sand and  One  Nights.  Imagine  a  sanctuary  where  the  ceil- 
ing is  as  magnificent  as  painting,  sculpture,  lacquer,  and 
precious  metals  can  make  it,  representing  a  dark-blue  sea  in 
which  golden  dragons  are  sporting,  pierced  at  intervals  by 
gorgeous  columns,  gold-lacquered  and  capped  with  em- 
bossed bronze,  and  where  walls  and  ceiling  are  reflected,  as 
in  a  forest  pool,  in  the  black  floor  of  polished  lacquer. 

"Colossal  structures  are  common  enough  in  Japan.  The 
porch  of  the  great  Temple  of  Todaji  rests  on  pillars  one  hun- 
dred feet  in  height  by  twelve  feet  in  circumference ;  and  this 
porch  simply  furnishes  access  to  another  porch  of  equal 
size,  behind  which  stands  the  temple  itself,  of  whose  size  we 
may  form  some  idea  from  the  fact,  that  within,  it  contains 
a  colossal  image  of  the  Buddha,  fifty-three  feet  in  height, 
with  a  nimbus  surrounding  the  head  eighty-three  feet  in 
diameter.  Not  less  vast  are  the  proportions  of  the  great 
sanctuary  at  Nara,  where  each  column,  a  hundred  feet  in 
height,  consists  of  a  single  stem.  It  is  astonishing  to  learn 
that  these  structures,  vast  in  size  and  splendid  in  decoration, 
blazing  with  gold  and  colors,  as  gorgeous  now  after  a  lapse 
of  a  thousand  years  as  they  were  at  first,  belong  to  an  age 
compared  to  whose  remoteness  the  European  cathedrals  must 
almost  be  called  modern." 


TADASUKE,  THE  JAPANESE   SOLOMON 

BY   WALTER  DENING 

[Tadasuke  lived  in  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
In  those  days  few  people  besides  the  officials  knew  what  the 
laws  were,  and  each  judge  was  practically  free  to  extract 
evidence,  reward,  and  punish  as  he  thought  best.  The  follow- 
ing stories  illustrate  the  sense  of  justice  and  the  quickness 
of  wit  of  Tadasuke,  the  most  famous  of  these  judges. 

The  Editor.] 

AN   EIGHTEENTH   CENTURY   JUDGE 

It  happened  that  a  woman  who  was  acting  as  a  servant 
in  the  house  of  a  certain  baron  had  a  little  girl  born  to  her, 
whom  she  found  it  difficult  to  attend  to  properly  while  in 
service ;  so  she  put  it  out  to  nurse  in  a  neighboring  village, 
and  paid  a  fixed  sum  a  month  for  her  maintenance. 

When  the  child  reached  the  age  of  ten,  the  mother,  hav- 
ing finished  her  term  of  service,  left  the  baron's  mansion. 
Being  now  her  own  mistress,  and  naturally  wishing  to 
have  her  child  with  her,  she  informed  the  woman  who 
was  taking  charge  of  it  of  her  wish.  The  woman  was  re- 
luctant to  part  with  the  child.  She  was  a  very  intelligent 
little  girl,  and  the  foster  mother  thought  that  she  might 
get  some  money  by  hiring  her  out  to  work.  So  she  in- 
formed the  mother  that  she  did  not  wish  to  part  with  her. 
This  of  course  soon  led  to  a  quarrel.  The  disputants  went 
to  law  about  it  and  the  case  came  up  before  Tadasuke. 

The  woman  to  whom  the  child  had  been  entrusted 
actually  asserted  that  it  was  her  own  offspring,  and  that 
the  child's  mother  had  no  right  to  it  whatever.   Tada- 

369 


JAPAN 

suke  saw  at  once  that  the  dispute  was  one  which  could 
be  settled  in  no  ordinary  way;  so  he  commanded  the 
two  women  to  place  the  child  between  them  and  one  to 
take  hold  of  its  right  hand  and  the  other  of  its  left,  and 
each  to  pull  with  all  her  might.  "  The  one  who  conquers," 
said  he,  "shall  be  declared  the  mother  of  the  child." 

The  real  mother  disliked  immensely  this  mode  of  set- 
tling the  dispute;  therefore,  though  she  took  hold  of  the 
child's  hand,  as  she  was  bidden,  fearing  that  the  girl 
would  be  hurt  by  pulling  violent  on  both  sides,  she 
slackened  her  hold  as  soon  as  the  foster  mother  began 
to  pull,  and  allowed  the  latter  to  get  an  easy  victory. 

"There!"  said  the  foster  mother,  "the  child,  you  see, 
is  mine." 

Then  Tadasuke  with  a  loud  voice  interposed:  "You 
are  a  deceiver.  The  real  mother  of  the  child,  fearing  that 
it  would  be  hurt  by  the  dragging,  intentionally  relaxed 
her  grasp  on  its  hand.  But  you,  who  are  in  no  way 
attached  to  the  child  by  nature,  thought  only  of  over- 
coming your  adversary,  and  cared  nothing  for  the  feel- 
ings of  the  girl."  Tadasuke  then  commanded  the  foster 
mother  to  be  boimd.  She,  thinking  that  she  would  be 
tortured  if  she  remained  silent,  immediately  confessed 
that  she  had  been  attempting  to  deceive  them  and  asked 
for  pardon. 

It  is  on  account  of  this  story  that  Tadasuke  has  been 
called  "The  Japanese  Solomon." 

TADASUKE   AND   THE   SMELL   OF   PICKLES 

When  Tadasuke  was  one  of  the  mayors  of  Edo,  a  man 
called  Hachibei  kept  a  shop  in  one  of  the  back  streets, 
where  he  sold  all  kinds  of  old  metal  pots. 

370 


TADASUKE,   THE   JAPANESE   SOLOMON 

Hachibei  by  dint  of  much  effort  had  realized  the  sum 
of  fifty  ryo  by  his  trade.  Not  knowing  of  any  better 
place  in  which  to  put  this  money,  he  concealed  it  in  his 
pickle-jar.  He  was  living  in  what  is  called  a  nagaya, 
which  consists  of  one  long  building  divided  up  into  dif- 
ferent parts  to  suit  the  convenience  of  the  poor  tenants 
who  inhabit  it.  As  a  large  number  of  people  were  resid- 
ing in  this  building,  some  one  soon  discovered  that 
the  money  was  concealed  in  the  pickle-jar.  And  the 
discovery  was  no  sooner  made  than  the  money  was 
stolen. 

One  day,  when  Hachibei  went  to  see  whether  his 
money  was  all  right,  what  was  his  astonishment  to  find 
it  gone!  The  poor  man  was  in  the  greatest  distress.  This 
blow  seemed  to  break  his  heart.  He  went  to  the  owner 
of  the  building  and  told  him  what  had  happened.  The 
landlord  was  very  sorry,  but  said  he  did  not  know  what 
to  do.  He  advised  Hachibei  to  have  another  look  for  the 
money,  as  it  might  be  in  the  jar  after  all.  Hachibei  said 
that  further  search  would  be  useless,  and  that  he 
thought  the  matter  ought  to  be  carried  into  court  at 
once. 

^'Of  course  the  matter  should  be  reported,"  said  the 
landlord,  ''but  how  it  can  be  carried  into  court  I  do  not 
know.  What  case  can  be  made  out  of  it?  Whom  are  you 
going  to  accuse?  "  Hachibei  pleaded  hard,  saying  that  if 
this  money  were  not  recovered,  he  would  not  know  how 
to  go  on  with  his  business.  So,  to  satisfy  him,  the  land- 
lord requested  Tadasuke  to  institute  an  inquiry  into  the 
matter. 

After  hearing  the  case,  Tadasuke  said  to  Hachibei: 
"  Your  idea  of  putting  the  money  into  the  pickle-jar  was 

371 


JAPAN 

a  good  one,  and  had  you  not  kept  going  to  the  jar  to  see 
if  it  was  safe,  doubtless  no  one  would  have  discovered  it 
was  there.  But  your  constantly  going  to  the  jar  created 
suspicion  and  led  to  its  being  stolen.  Have  you  any 
remembrance  of  anybody 's  seeing  you  take  it  out  of  the 
jar?" 

"  I  have  no  remembrance  of  anyone 's  seeing  me  do  it," 
replied  Hachibei.  "But  I  think  that  the  person  who 
stole  it  must  be  someone  who  resides  in  the  same  build- 
ing with  me,  for  it  is  not  likely  that  a  stranger  would  look 
for  anything  valuable  in  a  pickle- jar." 

"There  you  are  right,"  said  the  magistrate,  "and  it  is 
very  annoying  that  a  person  like  yourself  who  has  after 
much  trouble  succeeded  in  making  fifty  ryo  should  lose 
it  in  this  way." 

Here  the  landlord  stepped  forward  and  said:  "If  you 
please,  my  lord,  this  man  is  in  a  very  distressed  state 
owing  to  the  loss  of  his  money.  He  talks  about  killing 
himself.  What  to  do  with  him  I  do  not  know.  I  humbly 
and  respectfully  beg  that  your  Excellency  will  do  him 
the  favor  of  looking  into  the  matter." 

"You  may  go  for  the  present.  I  shall  send  for  you 
again,"  replied  Tadasuke. 

Two  or  three  days  after,  a  letter  reached  Hachibei 
commanding  him  to  appear  before  Tadasuke.  It  was 
also  added  that  every  person  in  the  nagaya  in  which 
Hachibei  lived,  man,  woman,  or  child,  was  to  appear  at 
court. 

On  the  day  appointed,  the  people  who  occupied  the 
same  building,  one  and  all,  made  their  appearance. 
Tadasuke  opened  the  inquiry  by  stating  what  had 
occurred.    "Hachibei,"  said  he,  "a  seller  of  old  metal, 

372 


TADASUKE,   THE   JAPANESE   SOLOMON 

some  little  time  ago  took  some  money  which  belonged  to 
him  and,  putting  it  into  a  linen  bag,  concealed  it  in  a 
pickle-jar.  This  money  has  been  removed  from  the  jar 
by  some  one  or  other.  Although  people  might  be  in- 
clined to  call  this  a  theft,  I  have  little  doubt  that  its 
removal  was  not  a  premeditated  act,  but  that  somebody 
who  was  going  to  the  pickle-jar  came  across  the  money 
accidentally ;  and  suddenly,  before  he  knew  what  he  was 
about,  was  overcome  by  a  desire  to  carry  it  off.  Very 
likely  the  man  or  woman  who  took  it  went  to  the  jar 
intending  to  take  a  few  pickles,  and  seeing  the  money, 
carried  it  off.  Anyhow,  the  person  who  took  the  money 
must  have  put  his  or  her  hand  into  the  pickle-jar.  And 
doubtless  the  smell  of  pickles,  associated  as  it  is  in  this 
case  with  the  removal  of  the  money,  wiU  still  remain  on 
that  person's  hand.  By  going  round  to  each  one  of  you 
and  smelling  your  hands,  then,  I  shall  discover  who  has 
taken  the  money.  But  before  I  do  this,  there  is  one 
thing  I  wish  to  say,  which  is  this:  —  If  the  person  who 
has  taken  the  money  waits  till  I  come  and  discover  him 
or  her,  that  person's  crime  will  be  considered  to  be  a 
great  one;  but  if  the  guilty  party  comes  forward  and 
confesses  at  once  what  he  or  she  has  done,  I  shall  deal 
leniently  with  that  person." 

Here  Tadasuke  put  on  a  severe  and  somewhat  angry 
face,  and  prepared  to  rise.  Just  at  this  juncture  a  man 
in  one  of  the  back  seats  smelt  his  fingers.  Whereupon 
Tadasuke  exclaimed:  —  "How  wonderful  it  is  that  a 
man  who  is  conscious  of  having  done  wrong  should 
carry  the  smell  of  his  misdemeanor  in  his  fingers! 
Though  some  days  have  elapsed  since  the  deed  which 
defiled  the  heart  was  perpetrated,  that  smell  evidently 

373 


JAPAN 

adheres  to  the  hand  of  him  who  committed  it.  There  is 
no  need  to  inquire  into  the  matter  any  further." 

Here,  pointing  to  the  man  who  had  smelt  his  fingers, 
"You,"  said  the  magistrate,  "have  taken  the  money." 

The  man,  feeling  that  after  his  unconscious  act  had 
revealed  the  truth,  it  was  useless  to  seek  to  hide  it  any 
longer,  confessed  that  he  was  the  offender  and  begged 
for  forgiveness. 

TADASUKE  AND  THE  WOMAN  IN  THE  BOX 

It  happened  once  that  a  robber  who  would  not  con- 
fess his  guilt  was  brought  before  Tadasuke.  He  was 
asked  to  try  and  devise  some  means  of  inducing  him  to 
confess.  Tadasuke  had  a  large  box  brought  into  the 
court-house,  and  gave  orders  that  the  thief's  wife  should 
be  placed  in  the  box  before  his  eyes.  Then  he  had  the 
box  removed  to  an  adjoining  room,  and  caused  an  officer 
to  be  put  into  it  in  the  wife's  stead. 

When  the  arrangements  were  complete,  the  box  was 
again  brought  into  the  courthouse  and  Tadasuke  ad- 
dressed the  robber  as  follows:  —  "As  you  refuse  without 
punishment  of  some  sort  to  confess  the  crime  that  we 
are  sure  you  have  committed,  instead  of  administering 
to  you  the  usual  torture,  I  decree  that  you  carry  your 
wife  once  aroimd  the  town."  The  man  put  the  box  on 
his  back  and  set  off  around  the  town.  When  he  reached 
an  unfrequented  spot,  where  he  thought  that  no  one 
would  hear  him,  he  exclaimed:  —  "I  say,  wife,  crime  is 
a  thing  that  ought  not  to  be  committed.  What  trouble 
it  brings  us  into!" 

Here  the  officer  sprang  out  of  the  box,  and  uttering 
the  words,  "Go  Joi,"  as  is  usual  in  the  case  of  an  arrest, 

374 


TADASUKE,   THE   JAPANESE   SOLOMON 

took  the  man  into  custody.  Having  thus  committed 
himself,  the  thief  was  no  longer  able  to  conceal  his 
crime. 

TADASUKE  AND  THE  MAN  WHOSE   THUMBS  WERE   TIED 

[A  woman  named  Chiko  lent  three  hundred  ryo  to  one 
Hachirobei.  He  denied  that  he  had  borrowed  the  money, 
and  in  her  indignation  she  set  fire  to  his  house.  The  case 
came  before  Tadasuke. 

The  Editor.] 

As  Hachirobei  obstinately  refused  to  confess  his  guilt, 
Tadasuke  addressed  him  as  follows:  "When  I  was  a 
child,  we  used  to  have  a  charm  against  forge tfulness.  It 
consisted  in  tying  up  the  thumbs  with  paper,  which 
infallibly  brought  the  matter  to  one's  recollection. 
Practice  that  charm  upon  Hachirobei."  So  they  took 
his  right  and  left  thumbs,  placing  them  one  on  the  top 
of  the  other,  wrapped  paper  round  them,  and  put  on 
the  official  seal,  after  which  his  lordship  said:  "Now, 
Hachirobei,  try  hard  to  recollect!  And  I  warn  you  that 
if  you  tear  the  paper  in  the  very  least  you  will  be  com- 
mitted to  jail.  You  will  be  examined  every  other  day, 
and  mind  you  do  not  fail  to  appear!"  Thereupon  both 
parties  were  dismissed. 

My  lord  had  quickly  seen  to  the  bottom  of  Hachi- 
robei's  heart,  divining  that,  though  not  a  particularly 
wicked  man,  he  had  been  led  by  greed  to  refuse  pay- 
ment of  the  woman's  money.  The  thumb-tying  which 
ensued  prevented  Hachirobei  from  sleeping  at  night 
and  from  feeding  himself  at  meal  times;  above  all,  it 
interfered  with  his  taking  pen  in  hand  to  balance  his 
accounts,  and  made  everything  more  uncomfortable  for 

375 


JAPAN 

him  than  can  be  imagined.  He  was  really  at  his  wit's 
end,  when,  after  the  lapse  of  seven  or  eight  days,  he  was 
again  summoned  to  attend  and  was  addressed  as  fol- 
lows: — 

"How  goes  it,  Hachirobei?  Has  the  loan  of  the  three 
hmidred  ryo  come  to  your  recollection?  No  doubt  you 
never  repaid  it,  though  you  thought  you  had.  Seeing 
that  it  was  that  money  that  led  Chiko  to  commit  arson, 
she  cannot  be  executed  until  the  matter  is  cleared  up. 
So  make  haste  with  your  pondering." 

Hachirobei  could  endure  no  longer.  "  My  lord,"  said 
he,  "  careful  investigation  of  my  ledgers  has  brought  to 
light  an  entry  of  'Borrowed  three  hundred  ryo';  and 
though  no  name  is  attached,  I  make  no  doubt  that  the 
item  referred  to  is  the  sum  borrowed  from  Chiko." 

"  Then  you  admit  that  you  borrowed  it  from  Chiko?  " 
inquired  the  judge. 

"Yes,  my  lord,  with  all  due  respect,  I  admit  it." 

"You  borrowed  the  three  hundred  ryo  seven  years 
ago;  so  the  sum  will  now  amount  to  over  five  hundred 
ryo,  allowing  interest  at  the  rate  of  three  ryo  a  month. 
You  must  refund  the  whole  of  this.  However,  as  it  may 
inconvenience  you  to  produce  the  entire  sum  at  once, 
you  shall  pay  it  back  at  the  rate  of  twenty  ryo  a  year  in 
four  installments  of  five  ryo  each." 

Having  thus  charged  Hachirobei,  his  lordship  was 
pleased  to  inquire  Chiko's  age,  and  on  being  informed 
she  was  sixty- three,  he  said:  "Well,  you  will  receive  the 
five  hundred  ryo,  principal  and  interest,  in  the  maimer 
I  have  just  directed  Hachirobei  —  year  by  year.  When 
the  whole  debt  shall  have  been  settled,  you  will  be 
executed." 

376 


J 


TADASUKE,   THE   JAPANESE   SOLOMON 

To  the  proprietor  of  the  house  where  she  lived  he 
said,  "  Give  notice  at  once  if  Chiko  dies,  but  no  coroner 
need  be  sent  for." 

This  sentence  brought  the  whole  matter  to  a  close. 
The  reasons  underlying  it  were  that  at  the  rate  of 
twenty  ryo  a  year,  it  would  take  twenty-j&ve  years  for 
the  whole  sum  of  five  hundred  ryo  to  be  received  back  by 
Chiko,  who  was  then  already  sixty-three  years  of  age 
while,  furthermore,  the  order  simply  to  report  her  death 
without  holding  a  coroner's  inquest  was  dictated  by  the 
desire  to  save  her  from  the  capital  punishment  due  to 
arson.  The  result  of  the  judgment  was  to  impress  not 
only  the  poHcemen  and  constables,  but  the  whole  city 
with  admiration  for  my  lord's  mercy  and  wisdom,  and 
it  became  very  famous. 


THE  SWORD  OF  JAPAN 

BY  SIR  EDWIN  ARNOLD 

A  GREAT  shogun  of  Japan,  the  famous  lyeyasu,  left  it 
written  in  his  testament  that  "the  girded  sword  is  the 
life  of  the  samurai."  The  sword  was,  indeed,  even  more 
than  this  in  ancient  Japan.  It  became  the  central  point 
in  the  morals  and  customs  of  the  land;  the  badge  of 
honor  and  the  token  of  chivalry;  a  special  and  sacred 
weapon  around  which  grew  up  the  grave,  punctilious 
manners  of  the  lords  and  knights  of  Dai  Nippon,  whose 
politeness  —  exquisite,  but  rigid  as  the  steel  they  bore 
—  had  to  be  imitated,  and  was  imitated,  by  the  lesser 
people.  The  civiUzation  of  a  country  always  crystallizes 
round  a  few  fundamental  habits  of  that  country.  The 
manners  and  morals  of  Japan  may  all  be  traced  to  the 
sword,  the  tea-cup,  and  the  paper  house.  The  first  has 
made  the  people  serious,  fearless,  punctilious  in  mutual 
demeanor;  the  second  has  created  their  identical  habits, 
their  sobriety  and  sociability;  while  those  perfectly 
transparent  abodes  of  paper  and  panel,  common 
throughout  Japan,  where  "no  secrets  are  hid,"  have 
forced  upon  them  a  Greek  simplicity  of  domestic  be- 
havior, with  a  modesty,  naturalness,  and  absence  of 
mauvaise  honte  unparalleled  elsewhere.  The  sword  has 
been  now  forever  laid  aside  in  public  by  the  gentlemen 
of  Japan  —  obeying  in  this,  with  wonderful  good  sense, 
a  sudden  and  difficult  edict.  But  the  signs  of  its  ancient 
cult  linger  deep  to  this  hour  in  the  minds  and  ways  of 

378 


THE   SWORD   OF   JAPAN 

the  people,  and  it  may  be  worth  while  to  speak  a  little 
of  the  bygone  importance  of  the  Japanese  sword. 

The  sword-maker  who  forged  the  finer  blades  for  the 
samurai  and  daimio  —  the  barons  and  knights — was 
no  mere  blacksmith.  He  ranked,  indeed,  first  of  all 
craftsmen  in  the  land,  and  was  often  appointed  lord  or 
vice-lord  of  a  province.  He  did  not  enter  on  his  grave 
duties  Hghtly.  When  he  had  a  blade  to  make  for  a  great 
Japanese  gentleman,  the  Katanya  abstained  for  a  whole 
week  from  all  animal  food  and  strong  drink;  he  slept 
alone,  and  poured  cold  water  every  morning  over  his 
head.  When  the  forge  was  ready  (and  no  woman  might 
so  much  as  enter  its  precincts),  and  when  the  steel  bars 
were  duly  selected,  he  repaired  to  the  temple  and  prayed 
there  devoutly.  Then  he  came  back  to  his  anvil  and  fur- 
nace, and  himg  above  them  the  consecrated  straw-rope 
(shime-nawa)  and  the  clippings  of  paper  (gohei)  which 
kept  away  evil  spirits.  He  put  on  the  dress  of  a  court 
noble,  with  the  e-boshi  and  kami-shimo,  t^ing  back  his 
long  sleeves  with  a  silk  cord.  Only  after  many  cere- 
monies, when  the  five  elements  —  fire,  water,  wood, 
metal,  and  earth  —  were  well  conciliated,  would  that 
pious  artisan  take  his  hammer  in  hand. 

The  blade  was  beaten  out  of  steel  alone — muku-gitai, 
the  "  pure  make  "  —  or  of  steel  blended  with  iron.  Great 
heed  was  taken  to  have  good  and  well-smelted  material. 
Each  time,  before  the  smith  placed  his  bar  in  the  bed  of 
glowing  charcoal,  which  an  apprentice  blew  to  white 
heat,  he  coated  it  with  a  paste  of  clay  and  straw  ashes, 
so  as  not  to  burn  the  naked  metal;  and  never  touched  it 
with  the  hand  —  hot  or  cold  —  since  sweat  would  spoil 
the  weld,  and  leave  a  blur  on  the  steel.  When  he  had 

379 


JAPAN 

beaten  out  his  bar  eight  inches  long,  two  and  one  half 
inches  wide,  and  three  quarters  of  an  inch  thick,  he  bent 
it  midway,  beat  it  out  again  to  the  same  dimensions, 
thus  folding  and  rehammering  it  some  fifteen  or  twenty 
times.  As  the  original  bar  was  in  four  flakes.  Dr.  Lyman, 
in  his  admirable  treatise  on  the  subject,  calculates  that 
at  the  fifteenth  hammering  there  would  be  131,072 
layers,  increased  by  five  following  bendings  to  4,194,304 
layers.  This  careful  repetition  gave  the  metal  a  texture 
like  ivory  or  satin-wood.  They  had  names  for  the  differ- 
ent "watering"  so  produced,  as  "bean-grain,"  "pear- 
grain,"  "pine-bark  grain,"  and  "vein-grain."  After- 
wards the  blade  was  forged  down  to  its  full  length,  the 
imperfect  ends  cut  off,  the  point  drawn  out,  and  the 
tang  fitted  on,  upon  which  came  the  tempering.  But 
these  last  processes  were  very  serious,  and  the  sword- 
forger  sat  alone,  and  solemnly  sang  to  himself  while  he 
gave  to  the  weapon  its  final  fashionings.  They  say  that 
the  difiference  between  the  swords  of  Masamune  and  of 
Muramasa,  two  famous  craftsmen,  was  due  to  their 
singing.  A  Masamune  blade  brought  victory  and  luck 
everywhere.  A  Muramasa  sword  was  always  leading  its 
owner  into  quarrels,  though  it  carried  him  through 
them  well;  and  it  would  cause  accidents,  and  cut  the 
fingers  of  friendly  folks  inspecting  it,  being  never  willing 
to  go  back  to  its  scabbard  without  drinking  blood.  The 
real  reason  was,  so  runs  the  legend,  that  Muramasa, 
while  he  sat  at  his  work  in  the  forge,  was  ever  singing  a 
song,  which  had  the  chorus  of  "tenka  tairan!  tenka 
tairan,"  which  means  "trouble  in  the  world,  trouble  in 
the  world,"  whereas  Masamune,  the  gentle  and  lucky 
sword-maker,  always  chanted  while  he  worked  ^^  tenka 

380 


THE   SWORD   OF   JAPAN 

taihei,  taikei,^'  which  signifies  "peace  be  on  earth  — 
peace! "  Japanese  people  of  the  old  days  firmly  beHeved 
that  both  the  kindly  words  and  the  unkindly  got  some- 
how welded  into  the  very  spirit  of  the  steel,  so  that 
Masamune's  blades  prevented  quarrels  or  brought  to 
their  wielders  a  quick  victory,  while  Muramasa's  had 
in  them  a  lurking  instinct  for  doing  mischief  —  a  sort 
of  itch  to  hurt  and  wound.  All  sorts  of  tales  were  told  to 
illustrate  this.  There  was  a  splendid  sword  of  Mura- 
masa,  which  had  killed  by  hara-kiri  four  of  its  possessors 
in  succession.  Once,  too,  when  the  Shogunwas  handling 
a  spear-head  embedded  in  a  helmet  of  one  of  his  war- 
riors, the  point  wounded  his  august  hand.  "See 
quickly,"  he  said,  "  what  is  the  mark  upon  this  accursed 
iron,  for  it  must  be  Muramasa's! "  And  when  they  came 
to  look  at  the  maker's  mark,  it  was  indeed  a  spear-head 
from  the  grim  sword-maker's,  who  had  chanted  the 
thirst  for  blood  into  all  his  yari  and  katana. 

Some  of  the  very  famous  sword-forgers  would  never 
write  their  names  or  make  any  sign  at  all  upon  their 
productions.  "It  is  enough  to  try  a  blade  of  mine," 
said  Toshiro  Moshimitsu;  "it  will  tell  you  of  itself  who 
made  it."  Many  of  the  inferior  craftsmen  engraved 
dragons,  gods,  and  flowers  upon  their  blades,  but  the  best 
work  does  not  bear  such  ornaments,  which  might  hide  an 
imperfection  in  the  metal.  All,  however,  except  such  men 
as  Toshiro  and  Masamune,  would  cut  into  the  tang  the 
name  and  date  of  the  sword  and  the  owner's  and 
maker's  name.  Swords  had  appellations,  and  might  be 
christened  with  such  titles  as  Osoraku,  "the  terrible," 
or  Hiru,  "  the  blood-sucker."  On  a  long  sword  noted  by 
Dr.  Lyman  the  inscription  ran  "  Motte  shisubcshi,  Motte 

381 


JAPAN 

ikubeshi/'  "Defend  yourself  with  me  —  die  with  me." 
But  when  the  blade  had  been  forged  and  shaped  — 
whether  it  were  the  straight  tsuragi  or  the  tachi  and 
katana  carved  into  the  lines  of  "the  falcon's  wing,"  or 
the  "cormorant's  neck"  — it  had  to  be  very  carefully 
and  skillfully  tempered.  The  Japanese  swordsmiths 
efifected  at  one  operation  what  European  craftsmen  do 
in  two,  namely,  the  high  annealing  of  the  edge  and  the 
low  tempering  of  the  body  of  the  blade.  They  covered  it 
with  sdbi-doro,  a  paste  of  red  earth  and  charcoal,  and 
then,  before  this  hardened,  they  drew  the  paste  away 
from  a  narrow  streak  along  the  edge,  afterwards  putting 
it  into  the  fiercest  part  of  the  fire.  Very  heedfully  did  the 
smith  move  the  precious  sword  up  and  down  in  the 
pine-coals  till  he  saw  the  proper  color  come  near  the 
tang,  which  would  be  in  a  few  minutes.  Then  it  was 
plunged  in  water  of  a  certain  temperature,  which  thing 
in  itself  was  a  great  secret.  Katate,  the  "  One-handed," 
a  renowned  swordsmith,  bought  the  knowledge  of  that 
precious  mystery  dear.  His  master  taught  him  every- 
thing else  except  this  matter  of  the  right  heat  of  the 
tempering  bath,  so,  watching  his  opportunity,  he  broke 
into  the  forge  one  day,  and  plunged  his  hand  into  the 
water  just  as  the  master  was  dipping  a  reddened  blade 
into  it.  The  master  smote  the  audacious  member  off 
there  and  then  with  the  unfinished  sword,  but  Katate 
knew  his  last  trade  secret. 

The  fire,  which  burned  the  bared  edge  violet,  left  the 
mune,  or  body  of  the  blade,  blue  or  straw-color;  and 
being  plunged  into  the  water,  the  sudden  chill  turned 
the  former  very  hard,  but  brittle,  making  the  latter 
tough,  elastic,  and  "mild."   The  edge  so  obtained  was 

382 


THE   SWORD   OF   JAPAN 

called  yakiba,  "baked-leaf"  —  but  there  must  not  be 
too  much  breadth  of  it,  as  it  would  necessarily  be  brittle. 
Then  was  the  cold  blade  carefully  cleaned  and  rough- 
ground,  and  at  this  stage  the  smith  could  know  whether 
his  work  must  be  wasted  or  not.   If  the  smallest  fault 
manifested  itself,  the  true  craftsman  flung  the  failure 
aside  —  the  false  one  cut  a  dragon  or  a  Sanskrit  letter  or 
two  over  the  blemish.  The  grooves  were  now  chiseled  into 
the  sword,  especially  the  chi-nagashi  or  blood- channel, 
which  in  the  case  of  spear-heads  would  be  afterwards 
filled  up  with  vermilion  lacquer.   A  hole  was  drilled  in 
the  tang  to  receive  the  mekugi,  or  bamboo  peg  holding 
the  handle  on;  and  then  followed  the  real  and  final 
grinding.  This  was  performed  by  a  special  handicrafts- 
man. Holding  the  blade  horizontally  wrapped  in  cloths, 
and  with  a  small  part  only  bare,  he  rubbed  it  up  and 
down  upon  whetstones  of  varying  grit,  finishing  upon  a 
fifteenth  stone  of  very  fine  grain,  and  afterwards  poUsh- 
ing  with  stone  powder  and  oil.  It  would  be  at  this  stage 
that  the  beauty  and  value  of  the  sword  came  forth. 
There  used  to  be  very  many  Japanese  gentlemen,  and 
even  to-day  there  are  some,  who  could  tell  instantly, 
upon  inspection,  by  the  look  of  a  blade  in  this  stage, 
who  had  wrought  it.    Official  personages  existed  who 
gave  governmental  certificates  of  blades,  written  on 
special  paper  and  stamped.  The  boundary  between  the 
hard,  sharp,  whitish  edge  and  the  gray-blue  of  the  back 
must  not  be  harsh.   It  must  be  clouded  by  Jtioi,  misty 
spots  and  flecks,  not  regular  like  drop-marks,  but  fleecy 
and  broken  apart  like  clouds.   In  good  steel,  where  the 
clay  covering  had  shghtly  come  away,  there  would  ap- 
pear tobi-yaki,  "flying  burns,"  isolated  specks  of  soft 

383 


JAPAN 

white.  The  visible  grain  would  look  "  as  though  the  steel 
were  water,  and  it  were  rippling."  Where  the  tempering 
had  been  perfect  there  would  come  little  points  of  bright 
silver  along  the  edge  —  called  nie,  only  to  be  seen  by  the 
educated  eye.  Masamune's  swords  were  very  full  of 
such.  It  must  be  an  excellent  blade  if,  inside  and  under- 
neath, as  it  were,  the  dark  body  of  it,  there  flickered  the 
utsuri,  the  "reflection,"  a  glimmer  along  the  dividing 
Une  of  edge  and  breast,  faintly  prismatic,  and  resem- 
bling the  "mist  round  the  moon."  Only  a  consummate 
judge  could  note  and  estimate  the  chikei,  small  films  of 
white;  the  niadziima,  or  "lightning  flashes,"  fine  shining 
lines  in  the  nioi;  the  sunagashi,  resembling  specks  of 
sand  in  a  row;  and  the  uchi-yoke,  or  narrow  forge- 
marks.  The  blade  which  combined  these  virtues  was  fit 
to  sit  in  the  girdle  of  a  daimio,  and  would  be  worth  from 
two  to  three  hundred  pounds;  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred 
of  the  old  yen. 

Such  a  sword  was  often  mounted  very  splendidly 
indeed;  the  finest  artists  lavishing  their  skill  upon  the 
scabbard,  tsuka,  the  me-nuki,  or  studs  upon  the  handle, 
and,  above  all,  on  the  tsuba,  or  hilt,  which  was  often 
enriched  with  lovely  work  in  gold,  silver,  and  bronze. 
The  scabbard  was  generally  of  magnolia  wood,  and 
ended  in  a  richly  adorned  kojiri,  or  ferrule.  It  held,  at 
its  upper  end,  two  small  daggers  or  skewers  with  pretty 
handles  called  kogai.  These  were  used  in  thick  of  fight 
to  stick  through  the  ear  of  a  slain  enemy  as  a  sort  of 
visiting-card.  With  such  a  weapon  you  could  cut 
through  five  sheets  of  copper  and  not  notch  the  steel, 
and  the  edge  put  on  it  might  be  so  fine  that  if  you  held 
it  in  a  river's  current  a  stalk  of  grass  floating  down  would 

384 


THE   SWORD   OF  JAPAN 

divide  upon  contact  with  it.  Masamune's  blades  could 
sever  a  bar  of  iron,  or  cut  a  falling  hair  in  two.  Mura- 
masa's  would  slice  bronze  armor  "like  a  melon."  The 
point  was  not  much  used,  but  lyeyasu  once,  for  trial,  put 
a  katana  of  Yoshimitsu's  clean  through  the  iron  mortar 
of  his  physician. 

Immense  punctilio  attached  to  the  wearing,  the  car- 
riage, and  the  etiquettes  of  these  precious  weapons.  The 
higher-born  you  were,  the  more  you  might  stick  up  the 
hilts  of  your  two  swords;  but  soldiers  of  lesser  degree 
wore  them  horizontally.  Dr.  Lyman  says  correctly:  " To 
draw  a  sword  from  its  scabbard  without  begging  leave  of 
the  others  present  was  not  thought  polite;  to  clash  the 
scabbard  of  your  sword  against  another  was  a  great 
rudeness;  to  turn  the  sword  or  the  scabbard,  as  if  about 
to  draw,  was  tantamount  to  a  challenge;  and  to  lay  your 
weapon  on  the  floor  and  kick  the  guard  towards  another 
was  an  intolerable  insult,  that  generally  resulted  in  a 
combat  to  the  death." 

Pfoundes  says  that  "the  rules  of  observances  con- 
nected with  the  wearing  of  the  long  and  short  sword  or 
the  single  sword  were  very  minute,  but  have  fallen  into 
disuse.  ...  In  former  days  the  most  trivial  breach  of 
these  elaborate  observances  was  often  the  cause  of  mur- 
derous brawls  and  dreadful  reprisals.  ...  To  express  a 
wish  to  see  a  sword  was  not  usual,  unless  when  a  blade 
of  great  value  was  in  question;  and  then  a  request  to  be 
shown  it  would  be  a  compliment  appreciated  by  the 
happy  possessor.  The  sword  would  then  be  handed  with 
the  back  towards  the  guest,  the  edge  turned  towards  the 
owner,  and  the  hilt  to  the  left,  the  guest  wrapping  the 
hilt  either  in  the  little  silk  napkin  always  carried  by 

38s 


JAPAN 

gentlemen  in  their  girdle- books,  or  in  a  sheet  of  clean 
paper.  The  weapon  was  drawn  from  the  scabbard  and 
admired  inch  by  inch,  but  not  to  the  full  length,  unless 
the  owner  pressed  his  guest  to  do  so,  and  then,  with  much 
apology,  the  sword  was  entirely  drawn  and  held  away 
from  the  other  persons  present.  After  being  admired  it 
would,  if  apparently  necessary,  be  carefully  wiped  with 
a  special  cloth,  sheathed,  and  returned  to  the  owner  as 
before." 

A  guest,  on  entering  a  friend's  house,  if  the  host  was 
an  older  man  or  of  higher  rank,  would  take  off  his  longer 
sword  and  either  lay  it  down  at  the  entrance  or  hand  it 
to  the  servant  who  admitted  him,  who  would  thereupon 
place  it  on  the  sword-rack  in  the  position  of  honor  in  the 
apartment.  If  on  somewhat  famihar  or  equal  terms  with 
the  host,  the  guest  might  carry  the  long  sword  into  the 
house,  but  detached  with  its  scabbard  from  the  belt,  and 
lay  it  on  the  floor  at  his  right  hand,  where  it  could  not  be 
drawn.  The  shorter  sword  was  retained  in  the  girdle; 
but  in  a  prolonged  visit  both  host  and  guest  laid  that 
also  aside. 

These  high  manners  of  the  steel  bred  that  Japanese 
courtliness  and  chivalry  which  have  survived  it.  The 
cult  of  the  katana  is  now  forever  at  an  end  in  Dai  Nippon 
—  the  samurai  and  lords  of  the  land  have  laid  aside  their 
proudly  cherished  weapons,  and  go  abroad  as  peace- 
fully as  the  akindo,  the  merchant.  Yet  there  are  fine 
swordsmen  still  to  be  found  among  the  quietest  of  the 
Emperor's  senators  and  Ueges,  and  I  have  myself  seen 
wonderful  things  done  by  some  of  them  with  ancient 
blades.  Moreover,  the  measured  speech,  the  deep  and 
heedful  reverence,  the  silent  dignity,  the  instincts  of 

386 


THE   SWORD   OF   JAPAN 

manhood  which  clustered  round  the  steel,  are  still  char- 
acteristic of  the  race;  and  the  swords,  though  no  longer 
worn,  are  proudly  and  carefully  preserved  in  many  a 
mansion,  castle,  and  temple.  Thucydides  says  that  "  the 
nation  which  carries  iron  is  barbarous,"  and  under  that 
remark  the  United  States,  where  almost  everybody 
seems  to  possess  and  carry  a  revolver,  would  stand  con- 
demned. But  Japan,  by  a  wonderful  effort  of  abnega- 
tion on  the  part  of  her  upper  classes,  altogether  laid 
aside,  twenty  years  ago,  the  old  and  perilous  habit  of 
going  abroad  with  a  girdle  full  of  swords  and  daggers. 
It  was  a  noble  submission  to  new  ideas — yet  to  this  day 
a  Japanese  gentleman  raises  your  sword  to  his  forehead 
and  bows  deeply  before  he  examines  it.  Nor  will  he 
imcover  a  single  inch  of  the  shining  and  sacred  steel 
without  gravely  obtaining  your  permission  and  that  of 
the  company  present. 


Ill 

SOME    CURIOUS   CUSTOMS 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

The  remarkable  rise  of  Japan  to  the  position  of  a  great 
world-power  is  attributable  to  five  qualities  that  are  united 
in  her  people:  —  frugahty,  endurance,  obedience,  altruism, 
and  a  genius  for  detail.  Among  the  most  noticeable  traits  of 
the  Japanese  character  are  gayety,  politeness,  and  a  serenity 
that  is  proof  against  the  misfortunes  of  ordinary  life.  The 
samurai  (the  knight  of  old  Japan)  learned  first  of  all  that  he 
must  never  display  emotion.  Pain  or  pleasure  must  find  him 
equally  unperturbed,  and  if  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  live 
with  honor  he  must  perform  hara-kiri  (suicide  by  falling  upon 
a  sword)  with  placid  mien. 


i 


A  JAPANESE  DINNER  PARTY 

BY   SIR  EDWIN  ARNOLD 

A  BANQUET  here,  properly  arranged,  served,  and  located, 
furnishes,  in  my  humble  judgment,  as  graceful  and  de- 
lightful a  meal  as  can  be  shared  in  all  the  world;  and 
casts  into  the  shade  the  classic  memories  of  the  triclinia 
of  ancient  times,  the  too  sohd  and  lavish  dishes  of 
Turkey  and  Syria,  the  cloying  sweetmeats  of  an  Indian 
burra  Khana,  and  even  in  many  respects  the  festal  tri- 
umphs of  a  Parisian  or  London  cordon  bleu.  The  act 
of  eating  is,  in  truth,  somewhat  gross,  and  of  the  animal; 
albeit,  decidedly  necessary.  Japanese  taste  and  fancy 
have,  however,  known  how  to  elevate  this  somewhat 
humihating  daily  need  from  a  process  of  mere  nourish- 
ment into  a  fine  art  and  a  delicate  divertissement,  where 
every  sense  is  in  turn  softly  pleased  and  soothed,  and 
food  and  drink  fall  in  like  pleasant  interludes  without 
ever  assuming  the  chief  importance  of  the  occasion.  None 
the  less  may  you  fare  abundantly,  luxuriously,  and  to 
repletion,  if  you  will,  from  the  Japanese  menu;  but  the 
fare  is  all  the  more  agreeable  and  digestible  because  you 
eat  what  you  like,  when  you  like,  as  you  like,  and  in  what 
order  you  like  during  three  or  four  placid  hours,  converted 
into  a  dream  of  pleasure  by  accomplished  dancing  and 
singing,  and  by  the  most  perfect  and  most  charming  serv- 
ice. It  was  our  good  fortune  lately  to  be  invited  to  a  typi- 
cal native  dinner  at  the  Japanese  Club  in  this  capital, 
of  which  I  will  offer  a  sketch  in  the  very  lightest  outline. 

391 


JAPAN 

The  dub,  situated  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  is  a  building 
entirely  of  the  indigenous  style  as  to  design  and  decora- 
tion, frequented  chiefly  by  the  higher  officials  and  noble- 
men of  Tokio.  Imagine,  if  you  can,  endless  platforms  of 
polished  wood,  stairway  apartment  ladders  of  shim'ng 
cedar  and  pine,  apartment  after  apartment  carpeted 
with  spotless  matting,  and  walled  by  the  delicate  joinery 
of  the  shoji  —  everywhere  a  scrupulous  neatness,  an 
exquisite  elegance,  a  dainty  aesthetic  reserve;  nothing 
too  much  anywhere  of  ornament.  Except  the  faultless 
carpentry  of  the  framework  and  the  tender  color  of  the 
walls  and  paneled  ceiHngs,  you  will  see  only  a  stork 
or  two  in  silk  embroidery  here,  a  dream  in  sepia  of  Fuji- 
San  there,  a  purple  chrysanthemum  plant  yonder,  in  its 
pot  of  green  and  gray  porcelain,  and  the  snow-white  floors 
with  their  little  square  cushions. 

Our  dinner  was  one  of  about  twenty  cushions,  and  we 
were  received  at  the  entrance  by  about  as  moxiy  musumes 
— the  servants  of  the  establishment  —  having  their  oku- 
satna  at  their  head,  who,  upon  our  approach,  prostrate 
themselves  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  matted  hall,  uttering 
musical  httle  murmurs  of  welcome  and  honor.  Our 
footgear  is  laid  aside  below  the  dark  polished  margin  of 
the  hall,  and  we  step  upon  the  soft  yielding  tatamis, 
and  are  each  then  led  by  the  hand  of  some  graceful,  small 
tripping  musume  to  the  broad  ladder,  up  which  we  must 
ascend  to  the  dining-room,  enlarged  for  the  occasion  by 
the  simple  method  of  running  back  the  shutters  of  pa- 
pered framework.  The  guests  comprise  European  ladies 
as  well  as  gentlemen,  and  all  are  in  their  stocking-feet, 
for  the  loveHest  satin  slipper  ever  worn  could  not  venture 
to  pass  from  the  street  pavement  to  these  immaculate 

392 


A   JAPANESE   DINNER   PARTY 

mats.  While  you  chat  with  friends,  you  turn  suddenly 
to  find  one  of  the  damsels  in  the  flowered  kimono  and  the 
dazzling  obi  kneeling  at  your  feet  with  a  cup  of  pale  tea 
in  her  tiny  hands.  Each  guest  receives  this  preliminary 
attention;  then  the  square  cushions  are  ranged  round 
three  sides  of  the  room,  and  we  tuck  our  legs  under  us  — 
those,  at  least,  who  can  manage  it  —  and  sit  on  our 
heels,  the  guest  of  honor  occupying  the  center  position 
at  the  top.  To  each  convive  then  enters  a  pretty,  bright, 
well-dressed  Japanese  waitress,  with  hair  decked  "to  the 
nines,"  stuck  full  of  flowers  and  jeweled  pins,  and  shin- 
ing Uke  polished  black  marble.  She  never  speaks  or 
settles  to  any  serious  duty  of  the  entertainment  without 
falHng  on  her  httle  knees,  smoothing  her  skirt  over  them, 
and  knocking  her  nice  Httle  flat  nose  on  the  floor;  and 
will  either  demurely  watch  you  use  your  hashi  —  your 
chopsticks  —  in  respectful  silence,  or  prettily  converse, 
and  even  offer  her  advice  as  to  the  most  succulent  mor- 
sels of  the  feast,  and  the  best  order  in  which  to  do  them 
justice.  Before  each  guest  is  first  placed  a  cake  of 
sugared  confectionery  and  some  gayly-colored  leaf-bis- 
cuits, with  a  tiny  transparent  cup  of  hot  tea.  Then  comes 
the  first  "honorable"  table,  a  small  lacquered  tray  with 
lacquered  bowls  upon  it,  containing  a  covered  basin  of 
tsuyu-soup  —  the  "honorable  dew"  —  a  little  pot  of 
soy,  a  gilded  platter  with  various  sweet  and  aromatic 
condiments  upon  it,  and  some  wonderful  vegetables, 
environing  some  fairy  cutlets  of  salmon.  You  disengage 
your  chopsticks  from  their  silken  sheath  and  prepare  for 
action  —  nor  is  it  so  very  difficult  to  wield  those  simple 
knives  and  forks  of  Eastern  Asia,  if  once  the  secret  of  the 
guiding  fingers  between  them  be  learned.  Otherwise  you 

393 


JAPAN 

will  drop  the  very  first  mouthful  from  the  soup-bowl 
upon  your  shirt-front,  to  the  gentle  but  never  satirical 
laughter  of  your  musume.  Amid  the  talk  which  buzzes 
around,  you  will  have  inquired  of  her  already  in  Japan- 
ese, ''What  is  your  honorable  name?"  and  "How  many 
are  your  honorable  years?"  and  she  will  have  informed 
you  that  she  is  0  Hoshi,  0  Shika,  O  Tsuhaki  —  that  is  to 
say,  "  Miss  Star,"  "  Miss  CamelUa,"  or  "  Miss  Antelope  " 
—  and  that  she  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  or  otherwise, 
on  her  last  birthday.  Respectfully  you  consult  0  Shika 
San  as  to  what  you  should  do  with  the  fragrant  and 
appetizing  museum  of  delicacies  before  you.  She  coun- 
sels you  to  seize  the  tiny  lump  of  yellow  condiment  with 
your  chopsticks,  to  drop  it  in  the  soy,  to  stir  up  and 
flavor  therewith  the  pink  flakes  of  salmon;  and  you  get 
on  very  famously,  watched  by  her  almond  eyes  with  the 
warmest  personal  interest.  Now  and  again  she  shuffles 
forward  on  her  small  knees  to  fill  your  sake-cup,  or  to 
re-arrange  the  confusion  into  which  your  Httle  bowls 
and  platters  have  somehow  fallen;  always  with  a  con- 
summate grace,  modesty,  and  good  breeding.  And  now, 
while  you  were  talking  with  your  neighbor,  she  has 
glided  off  and  reappeared  with  another  tray,  on  which 
is  disclosed  a  yet  more  miscellaneous  second  service. 
Her  brown,  tiny,  well-formed  hands  insinuate  deftly 
within  reach,  as  you  kneel  on  your  cushion,  numerous 
saucers  clustered  round  a  fresh  red  lacquer  basin  of 
vegetable  soup,  wherein  swim  unknown  but  attractive 
comestibles.  The  combinations  of  these  are  startling, 
if  you  venture  upon  questioning  the  dehghted  0  Shika 
San,  but  you  must  be  possessed  of  a  courageous  appetite 
or  you  will  subsequently  disappoint  the  just  expectations 

394 


A   JAPANESE   DINNER   PARTY 

of  "  Miss  Antelope."  Here  are  shrimps,  it  seems,  pickled 
with  anzu  (apricots),  snipe  subtly  laid  in  beds  of  colored 
rice  and  kuri  (chestnuts) ;  wild  goose  with  radish  cakes, 
and  hare  (usagi),  seasoned  with  preserved  cherries  amid 
little  squares  of  perfumed  almond  paste,  and  biscuits 
of  persimmon.  The  piece  de  resistance  is  a  pretty  slab  of 
fluted  glass,  whereon  repose  artistic  fragments  of  fish, 
mostly  raw  —  so  grouped  that  the  hues  and  outlines  of 
the  collection  charm  like  a  water-color  drawing.  You 
play  with  your  chopstick  points  among  shreds  of  tako 
(the  cuttle-fish),  kani  (crab  paste),  saba  and  hirame, 
resembHng  our  mackerel  and  soles;  and  are  led  by  the 
earnest  advice  of  your  kneeling  musume  to  try,  perhaps, 
the  uncooked  trout  yamame.  With  the  condiments  her 
little  fingers  have  mixed,  it  is  so  good  that  you  cease  pres- 
ently to  feel  Uke  a  voracious  seal,  and  wonder  if  it  be  not 
wrong,  after  all,  to  boil  and  fry  anything.  Environed  with 
all  these  in  tiny  dishes,  and  Hghtly  fluttering  from  one  to 
another  —  with  no  bread  or  biscuit,  it  is  true,  but  the 
warm,  strong  sake  to  wash  all  down  (for  the  glossy- 
haired  musume  keeps  a  little  flask  at  her  side  for  your 
especial  use)  — you  are  beginning  at  last  to  be  conscious 
of  having  dined  extraordinarily  well,  and  also,  per- 
chance, of  "pins  and  needles"  in  your  legs.  So  you  say 
Mo  yoroshii  —  "It  is  enough!"  —  and  now  the  service 
relapses  a  little  for  music  and  dancing. 

The  shoji  are  pushed  back  at  the  far  end  of  the  room, 
and  three  musicians  are  discovered  playing  the  samisen, 
the  thirteen-stringed  koto,  and  a  kind  of  violin.  Before 
them  sit  the  best  Geishas  from  Kioto,  and  we  are  pleas- 
antly weaned  from  our  desultory  dinner  by  a  dramatic 
pas  de  deux  founded  on  the  subjoined  ideas:  Hidari 

395 


JAPAN 

Jingoro  was  one  of  the  most  celebrated  wood-carvers  of 
Japan.  He  flourished  in  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  Specimens  of  his  work  are  to  be  seen  in  the 
great  temples  at  Nikko  and  in  Kioto.  The  tradition 
represented  in  this  dance  is  the  Japanese  ''Pygmalion 
and  Galatea."  Hidari  Jingoro  having  employed  all  the 
resources  of  his  art  to  carve  the  image  of  a  Kioto  beauty 
to  whom  he  is  said  to  have  been  attached,  succeeds  so 
admirably  that,  one  day,  he  suddenly  finds  the  figure 
endowed  with  life  and  movement.  But  although  the  girl 
is  there  in  the  flesh,  her  soul  is  the  soul  of  Jingoro  —  she 
thinks  with  his  thoughts,  and  moves  with  his  movements. 
Jingoro  would  fain  alter  this  and  convert  the  wooden 
image  into  Umegaye  herself — as  well  in  the  mind  as  in 
appearance.  He  considers  that  the  object  upon  which  all 
the  feminine  instincts  of  the  fair  sex  are  concentrated 
is  a  mirror.  Accordingly  he  places  a  mirror  in  the  girl's 
hand,  and  she,  seeing  her  own  face,  immediately  becomes 
Umegaye,  and  ceases  to  be  a  female  replica  of  Jingoro. 
Deprived  of  the  mirror,  however,  she  loses  individuality, 
and  is  once  more  a  living  automaton.  The  Httle  musumes 
withdraw  to  the  side  walls  that  we  may  better  watch 
every  step.  Absolutely  impossible  is  it  to  describe  with 
how  much  eloquence  of  pace  and  gesture  the  little  girl 
in  gold  and  blue  dances  and  glances  round  the  motion- 
less girl  in  gold  and  scarlet,  until  she  has  charmed  that 
black-eyed  statue  into  life.  And  then  the  rapture;  the 
illusion;  the  disillusion;  the  anguish  of  watching  the  imi- 
tativeness  of  that  brown  Galatea ;  the  joy  when  the  mir- 
ror renders  her  individual;  the  grief  when  without  it  she 
relapses  into  a  living  shadow  of  her  dark-skinned  Pyg- 
malion; the  artistic  graces  developed  and  the  dainty 

396 


A   JAPANESE   DINNER   PARTY 

passages  of  emotion  tripped  to  the  simple  but  passionate 
music  with  the  gilded  silken  kimono  floating  and  flutter- 
ing about  those  small  bare  feet,  those  slender  banded 
knees !  The  dance  was  a  real  piece  of  choregraphic  genius, 
and  the  applause  sincere  when  the  sculptor  and  his  lovely 
image  bent  themselves  to  the  earth,  and  demurely  re- 
sumed their  cushions. 

Meantime,  obeying  Japanese  etiquette,  each  guest  in 
turn  comes  to  the  "guest  of  honor,"  asks  leave  to  drink 
from  his  sake- cup,  and  obtaining  it,  raises  the  vessel  to  his 
forehead,  drinks,  rinses  it  from  the  water-bowl,  and  fills 
it  for  his  friend.  When  this  is  done,  the  "  guest  of  honor  " 
must  go  round  and  pledge  his  associates  in  the  same 
way,  while  the  three  sides  of  the  convivial  square  now 
for  a  time  break  up  into  chatty  groups,  wherein  the 
musumes  mingle  like  living  flowers  scattered  about.  But 
dirmer  is  not  nearly  finished  yet.  Before  each  cushion 
there  is  again  laid  a  lacquered  tray  —  none  of  the  others 
being  yet  removed  —  and  this  contains  the  choicest 
fish  which  can  be  procured  —  a  whole  one  —  with  his 
tail  curled  up  in  a  garland  of  flower-buds,  together  with 
cakes,  scented  spice-balls,  and  sugar-sticks,  which  you  are 
to  eat  if  you  can.  If  not  able  to  cope  with  these  new 
dainties,  they  will  be  put  into  pretty  boxes  and  deposited 
in  your  carriage  or  jinrikisha  —  indeed,  it  is  necessary  to 
be  careful  in  leaving  one  of  these  entertainments,  or  you 
may  sit  on  a  boiled  mullet,  or  a  stuffed  woodcock,  or  some 
cream-tartlets. 

While  we  dally  with  the  third  service  the  Geishas 
dance  again  and  again  —  the  last  performance  being  full 
of  comicgrace.  It  was  called  the'' Arashi-yama."  Arashi- 
yama  is  one  of  the  most  celebrated  spots  in  Kioto.  Its 

397 


JAPAN 

cherry  blossoms  in  spring  and  its  maples  in  autumn  at- 
tract thousands  of  visitors.  Among  the  cherry  trees 
there  was  a  Httle  theater  called  Mibu-do,  where  wordless 
plays  used  to  be  acted  when  the  flowers  were  in  full 
bloom.  Here  the  Palace  ladies  were  in  the  habit  of 
coming  every  season,  and  their  attendants  enjoyed  a 
picnic  and  extemporized  plays  for  the  ladies'  amusement. 
The  dance  represented  such  a  picnic.  During  the  carouse 
a  female  enters,  beautifully  dressed,  but  wearing  the 
mask  of  "Okame"  (the  colloquial  term  for  a  particu- 
larly fat  homely  wench) .  The  convives,  persuaded  that 
this  disguise  is  intended  to  conceal  uncommon  charms, 
press  her  to  drink;  and  she,  after  receiving  their  atten- 
tions, suddenly  removes  her  mask,  exhibiting  the  face, 
not  of  a  lovely  damsel,  but  of  the  veritable  Okame  her- 
self, the  patron  goddess  of  plain  women.  With  wonder- 
ful spirit  and  charm  the  gay  little  danseuses  performed 
this  comedy,  ending  our  long  but  never  tedious  dinner 
of  five  hours  with  a  special  figure  called  Sentakuya,  or 
the  "Washermen's  Trio."  After  this  each  musume  led 
her  guest  by  the  hand  to  the  hall.  Shoes  were  resumed, 
carriages  entered,  and  "honorable  exits"  made,  in  a 
dazzling  forest  tempest  of  Sayondras  ("Farewell!") 
and  Mata  irrashais  ("Come  soon  again!"). 


HOW  JAPANESE  LADIES  GO  SHOPPING 

BY  ALICE   M.   BACON 

There  are  in  Japan  a  few  great  merchants  whose  word 
may  be  trusted,  and  whose  obligations  will  be  fulfilled 
with  absolute  honesty ;  but  a  large  part  of  the  buying  and 
selling  is  still  in  the  hands  of  mercantile  freebooters,  who 
will  take  an  advantage  wherever  it  is  possible  to  get  one, 
in  whose  morality  honesty  has  no  place,  and  who  have 
not  yet  discovered  the  efficacy  of  that  virtue  simply  as 
a  matter  of  policy.  Their  trade,  conducted  in  a  small 
way  upon  small  means,  is  more  of  the  nature  of  a  game, 
in  which  one  person  is  the  winner  and  the  other  the  loser, 
than  a  fair  exchange,  in  which  both  parties  obtain  what 
they  want.  It  is  the  mediaeval,  not  the  modern  idea  of 
business,  that  is  still  held  among  Japanese  merchants. 
With  them,  trade  is  a  warfare  between  buyer  and  seller, 
in  which  every  man  must  take  all  possible  advantage 
for  himself,  and  it  is  the  lookout  of  the  other  party  if  he 
is  cheated. 

In  Tokyo,  the  greatest  and  most  modernized  of  the 
cities  of  the  empire,  the  shops  are  not  the  large  city 
stores  that  one  sees  in  European  and  American  cities, 
but  little  open-fronted  rooms,  on  the  edge  of  which  one 
sits  to  make  one's  purchases,  while  the  proprietor  smiles 
and  bows  and  dickers;  setting  his  price  by  the  style 
of  his  customer's  dress,  or  her  apparent  ignorance  of  the 
value  of  the  desired  article.  Some  few  large  dry-goods 
stores  there  are,  where  prices  are  set  and  dickering  is 

399 


JAPAN 

unnecessary;  and  in  the  kwankoba,  or  bazaars,  one  may 
buy  almost  anything  needed  by  Japanese  of  all  classes, 
from  house  furnishings  to  foreign  hats,  at  prices  plainly 
marked  upon  them,  and  from  which  there  is  no  variation. 
But  one's  impression  of  the  state  of  trade  in  Japan  is, 
that  it  is  still  in  a  very  primitive  and  undeveloped  con- 
dition, and  is  surprisingly  behind  the  other  parts  of 
Japanese  civihzation. 

The  shopping  of  the  ladies  of  the  large  yashikis  and 
of  wealthy  famiUes  is  done  mostly  in  the  home;  for  all 
the  stores  are  wilUng  at  any  time,  on  receiving  an  order, 
to  send  up  a  clerk  with  a  bale  of  crepes,  silks,  and  cottons 
tied  to  his  back,  and  frequently  towering  high  above  his 
head  as  he  walks,  making  him  look  Kke  the  proverbial 
ant  with  a  grain  of  wheat.  He  sets  his  great  bundle  care- 
fully down  on  the  floor,  opens  the  enormous  furushiki, 
or  bundle  handkerchief,  in  which  it  is  enveloped,  and 
takes  out  roll  after  roll  of  silk  or  chintz,  neatly  done 
up  in  paper  or  yellow  cotton.  With  infinite  patience, 
he  waits  while  the  merits  of  each  piece  are  examined  and 
discussed,  and  if  none  of  his  stock  proves  satisfactory,  he 
is  willing  to  come  again  with  a  new  set  of  wares,  knowing 
that  in  the  end  purchases  will  be  made  sufficient  to  cover 
all  his  trouble. 

The  less  aristocratic  people  are  content  to  go  to  the 
stores  themselves;  and  the  business  streets  of  a  Japanese 
city,  such  as  the  Ginza  in  Tokyo,  are  full  of  women,  young 
and  old,  as  well  as  merry  children,  who  enjoy  the  fife  and 
bustle  of  the  stores.  Like  all  things  else  in  Japan,  shop- 
ping takes  plenty  of  time.  At  Mitsui's,  the  largest  silk 
store  in  Tokyo,  one  will  see  crowds  of  clerks  sitting 
upon  the  matted  floors,  each  with  his  soroban,  or  adding 

400 


HOW  JAPANESE  LADIES   GO   SHOPPING 

machine,  by  his  side ;  and  innumerable  small  boys,  who 
rush  to  and  fro,  carrying  armfuls  of  fabrics  to  the  differ- 
ent clerks,  or  picking  up  the  same  fabrics  after  the  cus- 
tomer who  has  called  for  them  has  departed.  The  store 
appears,  to  the  foreign  eye,  to  be  simply  a  roofed  and 
matted  platform  upon  which  both  clerks  and  customers 
sit.  This  platform  is  screened  from  the  street  by  dark 
blue  cotton  curtains  or  awnings  hung  from  the  low  pro- 
jecting eaves  of  the  heavy  roof.  As  the  customers  take 
their  seats,  either  on  the  edge  of  the  platform,  or,  if  they 
have  come  on  an  extended  shopping  bout,  upon  the 
straw  mat  of  the  platform  itself,  a  small  boy  appears 
with  tea  for  the  party;  an  obsequious  clerk  greets  them 
with  the  customary  salutations  of  welcome,  pushes  the 
charcoal  brazier  toward  them,  that  they  may  smoke,  or 
warm  their  hands,  before  proceeding  to  business,  and 
then  waits  expectantly  for  the  name  of  the  goods  that 
his  customers  desire  to  see.  When  this  is  given,  the  work 
begins;  the  little  boys  are  summoned,  and  are  soon  sent 
off  to  the  great  fireproof  warehouse,  which  stands  with 
heavy  doors  thrown  open,  on  the  other  side  of  the  plat- 
form, away  from  the  street.  Through  the  doorway  one 
can  see  endless  piles  of  costly  stuffs  stored  safely  away, 
and  from  these  piles  the  boys  select  the  required  fabric, 
loading  themselves  down  with  them  so  that  they  can 
barely  stagger  under  the  weights  that  they  carry.  As 
the  right  goods  are  not  always  brought  the  first  time, 
and  as,  moreover,  there  is  an  endless  variety  in  the  colors 
and  patterns  in  even  one  kind  of  silk,  there  is  always 
plenty  of  time  for  watching  the  busy  scene,  —  for  sip- 
ping tea,  or  smoking  a  few  whiffs  from  the  tiny  pipes 
that  so  many  Japanese,  both  men  and  women,  carry 

401 


JAPAN 

always  with  them.  When  the  purchase  is  at  last  made, 
there  is  still  some  time  to  be  spent  by  the  customer  in 
waiting  until  the  clerk  has  made  an  abstruse  calculation 
upon  his  soroban,  the  transaction  has  been  entered  in  the 
books  of  the  firm,  and  a  long  bill  has  been  written  and 
stamped,  and  handed  to  her  with  the  bundle.  During 
her  stay  in  the  store,  the  foreign  customer,  making  her 
first  visit  to  the  place,  is  frequently  startled  by  loud 
shouts  from  the  whole  staff  of  clerks  and  small  boys,  — 
outcries  so  sudden,  so  simultaneous,  and  so  stentorian, 
that  she  cannot  rid  herself  of  the  idea  that  something 
terrible  is  happening  every  time  that  they  occur.  She 
soon  learns,  however,  that  these  manifestations  of  energy 
are  but  the  way  in  which  the  Japanese  merchant  speeds 
the  departing  purchaser,  and  that  the  apparently  inartic- 
ulate shouts  are  but  the  formal  phrase,  ''Thanks  for 
your  continued  favors,"  which  is  repeated  in  a  loud  tone 
by  every  employee  in  the  store  whenever  a  customer 
departs.  When  she  herself  is  at  last  ready  to  leave,  a 
chorus  of  yells  arises,  this  time  for  her  benefit;  and  as 
she  skips  into  the  jinrikisha  and  is  whirled  away,  she 
hears  continued  the  busy  hum  of  voices,  the  clattering  of 
sorobans,  the  thumping  of  the  bare  feet  of  the  heavily 
laden  boys,  and  the  loud  shouts  of  thanks  with  which 
departing  guests  are  honored. 

There  is  less  pomp  and  circumstance  about  the  smaller 
stores,  for  all  the  goods  are  within  easy  reach,  and  the 
shops  for  household  utensils  and  chinaware  seem  to  have 
nearly  the  whole  stock  in  trade  piled  up  in  front,  or  even 
in  the  street  itself.  Many  such  Httle  places  are  the  homes 
of  the  people  who  keep  them.  And  at  the  back  are  rooms 
which  serve  for  dwelHng-rooms,  opening  upon  well-kept 

402 


I 


HOW  JAPANESE  LADIES   GO   SHOPPING 

gardens.  The  whole  work  of  the  store  is  often  attended 
to  by  the  proprietor,  assisted  by  his  wife  and  family,  and 
perhaps  one  or  two  apprentices.  Each  of  the  workers,  in 
turn,  takes  an  occasional  holiday,  for  there  is  no  day  in 
the  Japanese  calendar  when  the  shops  are  all  closed;  and 
even  New  Year's  Day,  the  great  festival  of  the  year,  finds 
most  of  the  stores  open.  Yet  the  dwellers  in  these  little 
homes,  Hving  almost  in  the  street,  and  in  the  midst  of 
the  bustle  and  crowd  and  dust  of  Tokyo,  have  still  time 
to  enjoy  their  holidays  and  their  Uttle  gardens,  and  have 
more  pleasure  and  less  hard  work  than  those  under  simi- 
lar circumstances  in  our  own  country. 

The  stranger  visiting  any  of  the  great  Japanese  cities 
is  surprised  by  the  lack  of  large  stores  and  manufactories, 
and  often  wonders  where  the  beautiful  lacquer  work  and 
porcelains  are  made,  and  where  the  gay  silks  and  crepes 
are  woven.  There  are  no  large  establishments  where 
such  things  are  turned  out  by  wholesale.  The  delicate 
vases,  the  bronzes,  and  the  silks  are  often  made  in  hum- 
blest homes,  the  work  of  one  or  two  laborers  with  rudest 
tools.  There  are  no  great  manufactories  to  be  seen,  and 
the  bane  of  so  many  cities,  the  polluting  factory  smoke, 
never  rises  over  the  cities  of  Japan.  The  hard,  confining 
factory  life,  with  its  never  ceasing  roar  of  machinery, 
bewildering  the  minds  and  intellects  of  the  men  who 
come  under  its  deadening  influences,  until  they  become 
scarcely  more  than  machines  themselves,  is  a  thing  as 
yet  almost  unknown  in  Japan.  The  life  of  the  jinrikisha 
man  even,  hard  and  comfortless  as  it  may  seem  to  run 
all  day  like  a  horse  through  the  crowded  city  streets,  is 
one  that  keeps  him  in  the  fresh  air,  under  the  open  sky, 
and  quickens  his  powers  both  of  body  and  mind.  To  the 

403 


JAPAN 

poor  in  Japanese  cities  is  never  denied  the  fresh  air  and 
sunshine,  green  trees  and  grass;  and  the  beautiful  parks 
and  gardens  are  found  everywhere,  for  the  enjoyment  of 
even  the  meanest  and  lowest. 

On  certain  days  in  the  month,  in  different  sections  of 
the  city,  are  held  night  festivals  near  temples,  and  many 
shopkeepers  take  the  opportunity  to  erect  temporary 
booths,  in  which  they  so  arrange  their  wares  as  to  tempt 
the  passers-by  as  they  go  to  and  fro.  Very  often  there  is 
a  magnificent  display  of  young  trees,  potted  plants,  and 
flowers,  brought  in  from  the  country  and  ranged  on  both 
sides  of  the  street.  Here  the  gardeners  make  hvely  sales, 
as  the  displays  are  often  fine  in  themselves,  and  show  to 
a  special  advantage  in  the  flaring  torchlight.  The  eager 
venders,  who  do  all  they  can  to  call  the  attention  of  the 
crowd  to  their  wares,  make  many  good  bargains.  The 
purchase  requires  skill  on  both  sides,  for  flower  men  are 
proverbial  in  their  high  charges,  asking  often  five  and 
ten  times  the  real  value  of  a  plant,  but  coming  down  in 
price  almost  immediately  on  remonstrance.  You  ask  the 
price  of  a  dwarf  wistaria  growing  in  a  pot.  The  man 
answers  at  once , ' '  Two  dollars . "  "  Two  dollars ! ' '  you  an- 
swer in  surprise ; "  it  is  not  worth  more  than  thirty  or  forty 
cents."  ''Seventy-five,  then,"  he  will  respond;  and  thus 
the  buyer  and  seller  approach  nearer  in  price,  until  the 
bargain  is  struck  somewhere  near  the  first  price  offered. 
Price  another  plant  and  there  would  be  the  same  process 
to  go  over  again;  but  as  the  evening  passes,  prices  go 
lower  and  lower,  for  the  distances  that  the  plants  have 
been  brought  are  great,  and  the  labor  of  loading  up  and 
carrying  back  the  heavy  pots  is  a  weary  one,  and  when 
the  last  customer  has  departed  the  merchants  must 

404 


HOW  JAPANESE   LADIES    GO   SHOPPING 

work  late  into  the  night  to  get  their  wares  safely  home 
again. 

But  besides  the  flower  shows,  there  are  long  rows  of 
booths,  which,  with  the  many  visitors  who  throng  the 
streets,  make  a  gay  and  lively  scene.  So  dense  is  the 
crowd  that  it  is  with  difl&culty  one  can  push  through  on 
foot  or  in  jinrikisha.  The  darkness  is  illuminated  by 
torches,  whose  weird  flames  flare  and  smoke  in  the  wind, 
and  shine  down  upon  the  httle  sheds  which  line  both 
sides  of  the  road,  and  contain  so  tempting  a  display  of 
cheap  toys  and  trinkets  that  not  only  the  children,  but 
their  elders,  are  attracted  by  them.  Some  of  the  booths 
are  devoted  to  dolls;  others  to  toys  of  various  kinds;  still 
others  to  birds  in  cages,  goldfish  in  globes,  queer  chirp- 
ing insects  in  wicker  baskets,  pretty  ornaments  for  the 
hair,  fans,  candies,  and  cakes  of  all  sorts,  roasted  beans 
and  peanuts,  and  other  things  too  numerous  to  mention. 
The  long  line  of  stalls  ends  with  booths,  or  tents,  in  which 
shows  of  dancing,  jugglery,  educated  animals,  and  mon- 
strosities, natural  or  artificial,  may  be  seen  for  the  mod- 
erate admission  fee  of  two  sen.  Each  of  these  shows  is 
well  advertised  by  the  beating  of  drums,  by  the  shouting 
of  doorkeepers,  by  wonderful  pictures  on  the  outside  to 
entice  the  passer-by,  or  even  by  an  occasional  brief  lift- 
ing of  the  curtains  which  veil  the  scene  from  the  crowd 
without,  just  long  enough  to  afford  a  tantalizing  gHmpse 
of  the  wonders  within.  Great  is  the  fascination  to  the 
children  in  all  these  things,  and  the  little  feet  are  never 
weary  until  the  last  booth  is  passed,  and  the  quiet  of 
neighboring  streets,  lighted  only  by  wandering  lanterns, 
strikes  the  home-returning  party  by  its  contrast  with  the 
light  and  noise  of  the  festival.    The  supposed  object  of 

405 


JAPAN 

the  expedition,  the  visit  to  the  temple,  has  occupied  but 
a  small  share  of  time  and  attention,  and  the  Httle  hands 
are  filled  with  the  amusing  toys  and  trifles  bought,  and 
the  Uttle  minds  with  the  merry  sights  seen.  Nor  are 
those  who  remain  at  home  forgotten,  but  the  pleasure- 
seekers  who  visit  the  fair  carry  away  with  them  Uttle 
gifts  for  each  member  of  the  family,  and  the  0  miage, 
or  present  given  on  the  return,  is  a  regular  institution 
of  Japanese  home  Ufe. 

By  ten  o'clock,  when  the  crowds  have  dispersed  and 
the  purchasers  have  all  gone  home  and  gone  to  bed,  the 
busy  booth-keepers  take  down  their  stalls,  pack  up  their 
wares,  and  disappear,  leaving  no  trace  of  the  night's 
gayeties  to  greet  the  morning  sun. 


AN  INCENSE  PARTY 

BY  SIR  EDWIN  ARNOLD 

There  is  a  pretty  and  refined  form  of  social  amuse- 
ment in  Japan  which  has  never  been  mentioned  on 
this  side,  so  far  as  I  have  seen,  in  connection  with  the 
domestic  Hfe  of  that  country.  It  well  deserves  descrip- 
tion, nevertheless,  being  so  characteristic  of  the  highly 
cultured  tastes  of  the  Japanese,  and  because  it  opens 
the  gate  into  quite  a  new  realm  of  sense-pleasure,  and 
might,  indeed,  be  very  well  introduced  among  people 
of  education  and  fine  sensibilities  in  England.  It  is 
founded  upon  the  Eastern  love  of  sweet  odors  —  a 
province  of  rare  delight,  far  too  much  neglected  among 
ourselves,  as  may  be  seen  indeed  by  our  lack  of  words 
with  which  to  defijie  different  fragrances,  and  the  fool- 
ish fashion  which  has  surrendered  the  beautiful  world 
of  perfume  almost  entirely  to  the  female  sex.  EngHsh- 
men,  it  is  true,  wear  buttonholes  of  violets,  or  gardenias, 
or  rosebuds;  and  some  of  them  are  bold  enough  to 
bedew  a  pocket-handkerchief  with  a  Httle  frangipani 
or  eau  de  Cologne ;  but  the  habit  is  regarded  as  rather 
effeminate,  and  even  ladies  are  a  little  blamed  if  they 
indulge  in  the  stronger  fragrances  of  the  fashionable 
perfumers.  All  this  is  deplorable,  and  due,  it  seems  to 
me,  to  a  deficient  olfactory  gift  rather  than  to  any  rea- 
sonable prejudice;  for  why  should  we  not  take  delight 
in  the  infinite  range  and  exquisite  variation  of  those 
mysterious  odors  which,  not  content  with  scattering 

407 


JAPAN 

freely  among  her  flowers,  Nature  bestows  upon  us  in 
many  a  strange  and  subtle  corner  of  the  animal  and 
vegetable  world?  We  have,  by  reason  of  our  dullness, 
very  few  satisfactory  titles  in  the  dictionary  with  which 
to  name  these  wonderful  essences;  and  the  nose  —  that 
most  important  feature  —  not  only  boasts  no  classic 
passages  of  its  own  to  compare  with  the  literature  of  the 
eye,  the  ear,  and  the  lips,  or  even  the  hair,  but  is  scarcely 
ever  mentioned,  even  in  poetry.  Martial  can  find  no- 
thing better  to  say  of  that  organ  in  his  mistress  except 
that  it  is  ''not  too  great,"  and  all  that  Ariosto  permits 
himself  to  observe  about  the  same  part  of  the  lovely 
countenance  of  one  of  his  chief  heroines  is  that  "it  stood 
in  the  middle  of  her  face." 

They  do  not  so  disregard  the  nose  in  Japan,  or  neg- 
lect the  delicious  kingdom  of  sensations  of  which  it  is 
the  well-provided  and  happy  channel.  Less  fortunate 
than  we  are  in  the  variety  and  delicacy  of  manufactured 
perfumes,  they  appreciate  intensely  those  which  they 
possess,  and  give  lovely  and  appropriate  names  to  dis- 
tinguish one  odor  from  the  other.  For  the  most  part, 
Japanese  perfumes  are  prepared  not  in  the  Hquid  form, 
as  with  us,  but  in  powder  or  sohd  shape,  necessitating 
the  use  of  incense  burners  to  develop  the  aroma  of 
each.  The  Japanese  word  for  an  incense  burner  is  koro, 
and  upon  this  omnipresent  article  of  Japanese  domes- 
tic and  religious  Ufe  the  artists  of  the  land  have  lavished 
their  finest  skill.  The  most  divinely  graceful  utensils 
exist  in  bronze,  iron,  silver,  gold,  and  pottery,  entirely 
devoted  as  kogo  in  which  to  keep  the  little  tablets 
of  incense,  or  as  koro,  and  chojiburo  in  which  to  burn 
them.  Some  are  quaintly  fashioned  in  the  forms  of  fish, 

408 


AN   INCENSE   PARTY 

birds,  or  animals,  and  richly  gilded;  but  the  majority 
are  of  bronze,  the  fragrant  smoke  issuing  from  perfora- 
tions in  the  lid  of  the  Uttle  vessel. 

Imagine  yourself,  then,  —  oh,  gentle  EngUsh  guest! 
seeking  in  vain  for  some  new  social  pastime  —  imagine 
yourself  in  Tokyo  receiving  the  distinction  of  0 
maneki  —  the  honorable  invitation  —  to  a  josshuko, 
or  incense  party.  I  must  call  it  a  distinction,  because 
these  entertainments  are  only  given  in  the  upper  circles 
of  Japanese  life,  and  would  never  be  addressed  to  any 
one  who  was  not  known  as  a  person  of  quiet  ways  and 
cultivated  tastes.  On  the  highly  ornamental  document 
inviting  you,  or  in  a  letter  accompanying  it,  will  be  con- 
veyed in  graceful  words  the  request  that,  if  it  be  ''honor- 
ably convenient,"  you  will  not  smoke,  or  drink  tea  or 
saki,  or  eat  scented  sweetmeats  for  a  day  or  so  previous 
to  the  reception.  It  will  also  be  in  good  form  that  you 
should  not  make  any  employment  of  pomade  or  oil  for 
the  hair,  nor  use  any  ordinary  perfume.  On  repairing 
to  the  house  of  your  hostess  —  for  a  lady  always  pre- 
sides over  this  most  dainty  amusement  —  it  will  be 
polite  and  proper  to  enter  with  much  caution  the  apart- 
ment reserved,  taking  care  to  open  and  shut  the  paper 
shutters,  shoji,  very  quietly,  in  order  not  to  disturb  the 
tranquil  air  of  the  room.  Like  all  Japanese  rooms,  that 
chamber  will  be  celestially  clean  and  sweet;  but  the  prob- 
ability is  that  you  are  entering  a  yashiki,  or  superior 
abode,  where,  beside  the  cream-white  tatami  and  the 
silvery  shoji,  the  woodwork  around  will  be  of  finished 
workmanship,  and  the  supporting  columns  of  natural 
timber,  the  most  valuable  that  the  mountain  forests  can 
yield.    With  your  feet  bare  or  in  socks  you  have  knelt 

409 


JAPAN 

down  in  your  place  within  a  half-circle  of  pleasant 
friends,  male  and  female,  who  salute  you  with  soft  words 
of  welcome  and  poUshed  compliments.  Your  dress  will 
be  new,  or  at  least  unsoiled;  aU  upper  garments  being 
left  outside  that  no  smeU  of  the  street  may  enter  this 
paradise  of  perfume.  Opposite  to  the  half-circle  of  happy 
guests  kneels  the  fair  hostess,  in  front  of  her  being  ranged 
a  row  of  ten  small  packets  of  perfume,  folded  and  tied  in 
precisely  an  identical  fashion,  and  their  contents  known 
to  her  alone,  either  by  their  arrangement  or  some  private 
mark.  Two  or  more  incense  burners  will  be  near  her 
with  a  metal  bowl  of  Hghted  charcoal  and  various  little 
implements  with  which  to  handle  the  incense.  In  joss- 
huko  there  will  be  ten  packets,  but  only  four  different 
scents,  and  a  specimen  of  each  of  these  four  is  placed, 
distinctively  colored  or  packed,  at  the  left  hand  of  the 
lady  of  the  house.  Let  us  say  that  they  are  the  sorts 
called  tamatsumi,  in  English,  pile  of  jewels;  shibafune, 
ships  of  grass;  mumei,  the  unspeakable;  and  a  fourth 
fragrance,  which  is  not  named  or  experimented  with. 
In  the  row  of  ten,  all  looking  identical,  there  will  be 
three  of  number  one,  three  of  mmiber  two,  three  of 
number  three,  and  one  of  the  mysterious  compound. 
The  guests  receive  ten  little  tickets,  bearing  names  cor- 
responding to  this  division  —  three  of  number  one,  three 
of  number  two,  three  of  number  three,  and  one  for  the 
kyaksama,  or  unknown  perfume.  In  a  box  near  at 
hand  there  is  a  division  for  the  tickets  of  each  of  those 
present;  —  and  now  the  graceful  pastime  is  ready  to 
commence. 

The  lady  of  the  house  burns  one  of  the  extra  parcels 
of  number  one,  and  all  in  turn  sniff  at  the  aroma,  the 

410 


AN   INCENSE   PARTY 

name  and  character  of  which  she  indicates.  Then,  gently 
wafting  aside  the  fragrant  cloud,  she  gives  her  guests 
the  flavor  of  number  two,  and  afterwards,  in  due  turn, 
that  of  number  three,  naming  them  all.  But  kyakuko  is, 
as  I  say,  not  burned.  Now  then  the  delicate  ordeal  com- 
mences. The  lady  host  opens  one  of  the  ten  indistin- 
guishable parcels  and  places  it  on  the  glowing  scarlet 
ashes  of  the  koro.  The  blue  vapor  issues  from  the  per- 
forated lid,  each  guest  in  turn  of  precedence  savors  the 
smoke  decorously  three  times,  and  then,  making  up  his 
or  her  mind,  secretly  drops  the  ticket  which  is  thought 
to  agree  with  that  particular  odor.  One  after  the  other 
the  guests  thus  vote  in  silent  ballot,  not  being  allowed  to 
give  any  hint  as  to  their  persuasion,  but  softly  convers- 
ing of  other  things  as  the  incense  burner  goes  round. 
Another  and  another  packet  is  selected  and  consumed, 
and  again  and  again  those  present  cast  their  votes,  each 
dropping  the  tickets  into  his  own  division  of  the  ballot- 
box.  Somewhere  or  other  in  the  course  of  the  play  the 
secret  scent  will  come  in,  but  it  is  remarkable  how  often 
it  fails  to  be  recognized,  the  eager  guests  expecting  it 
before  it  has  arrived.  Moreover,  in  spite  of  the  frequent 
use  of  the  fan,  each  of  the  fragrances  intermixes  with 
each,  and  it  is  quite  astonishing  how  keen  the  nostril 
needs  to  be  to  analyze  and  separate  the  fine  differences 
of  the  various  essences.  At  the  close  of  the  round,  when 
all  ten  perfumes  have  been  consumed  in  the  koro,  a 
scrutiny  is  held  of  the  voting,  and  he  or  she  who  has 
made  the  highest  number  of  happy  guesses  receives  a 
little  hohi,  a  prize  of  some  pretty  and  useful  kind. 

A  great  collection  of  elaborate  articles  is  needed  to 
carry  out  this  graceful  entertainment  in  perfection.  The 

411 


JAPAN 

incense  burner  ought  naturally  to  be  very  artistic, 
whether  of  porcelain,  bronze,  copper,  or  iron.  The  in- 
cense box  should  be  of  fine  lacquer,  and  of  beautiful 
shape  and  finish.  It  will  generally  have  been  constructed 
in  three  divisions  —  the  first  containing  the  incense 
cakes,  the  second  some  aloes-wood,  and  the  third  a 
receptacle  for  the  incense  ashes.  Little  plates  of  mica 
must  be  ready,  on  which  to  lay  the  pieces  of  incense 
when  put  over  the  burner.  The  card-box  ought  to  be 
charming,  and  the  cards  are  sometimes  little  lacquered 
wooden  blocks,  with  a  number  on  one  side  and  on  the 
other  the  picture  of  some  tree  or  flower  —  the  name  of 
which  each  guest  will,  for  the  time  being,  assume.  Every 
person,  it  will  be  understood,  receives  ten  tickets,  with 
the  same  picture  on  the  back,  representing  unmistakably 
the  owner. 

It  would  take  me  too  far  to  go  into  the  varieties  of 
incense  and  other  fragrant  materials  which  are  manu- 
factured by  the  Japanese  perfumer,  and  to  quote  all 
the  playful  and  fanciful  names  given  to  them.  There  is, 
for  example,  kokon  —  "the  breath  of  twilight"  —  and 
there  is  yama-ji-no-tsuyu  —  "the  dew  on  the  mountain 
path."  The  first  is  compounded  of  aloes- wood,  sandal- 
wood, and  kakko,  in  certain  proportions.  The  second 
has  clover-blossom  in  it,  and  musk  or  jako  —  of  which 
the  ladies  of  Dai  Nippon  are  very  fond.  Some  of  them 
have  the  custom  of  sewing  a  tiny  bag  of  musk-dust 
inside  a  velvet  fillet,  and  fastening  it  under  their  sleeve 
upon  the  upper  arm.  The  ingredients  of  these  perfumes 
are  mixed  in  powder  and  then  kneaded  into  consist- 
ency with  white  honey.  There  are  many  other  forms  of 
this  delicate  entertainment  besides  josshuko  —  such  as 

412 


AN   INCENSE   PARTY 

kogusa-ko,  keiba-ko,  kagetsu-ko,  meisho-ko,  all  of  them 
having  some  amusing  or  imaginative  significance.  But 
enough  has  been  said  to  show  the  refinement,  the  charm, 
and  the  entertaining  character  of  this  Japanese  form  of 
indoor  pastime,  which  might,  I  think,  be  happily  intro- 
duced into  those  fortunate  abodes  in  our  own  land  where 
there  reigns  something  like  Japanese  tranquillity  and 
something  Uke  the  Japanese  artistic  instinct  which  can 
find  true  joy  in  the  curve  of  a  line,  in  the  contrast  of 
supplementary  colors,  or  in  the  subtle  difference  of  one 
sweet  odor  from  another  closely  resembling  it. 


A  JAPANESE  HOUSE 

BY  BASIL  HALL  CHAMBERLAIN 

The  ordinary  Japanese  house  is  a  light  framework  struc- 
ture, whose  thatched,  shingled,  or  tiled  roof,  very  heavy 
in  proportion,  is  supported  on  stones  with  sUghtly  hol- 
lowed tops,  resting  on  the  surface  of  the  soil.  There  is  no 
foundation,  as  that  word  is  understood  by  our  architects. 
The  house  stands  on  the  ground,  not  partly  in  it.  Sin- 
gularity number  two :  there  are  no  walls  —  at  least  no 
continuous  wails.  The  side  of  the  house,  composed  at 
night  of  wooden  sHding  doors,  called  amado,  is  stowed 
away  in  boxes  during  the  daytime.  In  summer,  every- 
thing is  thus  open  to  the  outside  air.  In  winter,  semi- 
transparent  paper  sHdes,  called  shoji,  replace  the  wooden 
sUding  doors  during  the  daytime.  The  rooms  are  di- 
vided from  each  other  by  opaque  paper  screens,  called 
fusuma  or  karakami,  which  run  in  grooves  at  the  top  and 
bottom.  By  taking  out  these  sHding  screens  several  rooms 
can  be  turned  into  one.  The  floor  of  all  the  living-rooms 
is  covered  with  thick  mats,  made  of  rushes  and  per- 
fectly fitted  together,  so  as  to  leave  no  interstices.  As 
these  mats  are  always  of  the  same  size  —  six  feet  by 
three  —  it  is  usual  to  compute  the  area  of  a  room  by  the 
number  of  its  mats.  Thus  you  speak  of  a  six-mat  room, 
ten-mat  room,  etc.  In  the  dwellings  of  the  middle  classes, 
rooms  of  eight,  of  six,  and  of  four  and  a  half  mats  are  those 
oftenest  met  with.  The  kitchen  and  passages  are  not 
matted,  but  have  a  wooden  floor,  which  is  kept  brightly 

414 


A  JAPANESE   HOUSE 

polished.  But  the  passages  are  few  in  a  Japanese  house, 
each  room  opening  as  a  rule  into  the  others  on  either 
side. 

When  a  house  has  a  second  story,  this  generally  covers 
but  a  portion  of  the  ground  floor.  The  steps  leading  up 
to  it  resemble  a  ladder  rather  than  a  staircase.  The  best 
rooms  in  a  Japanese  house  are  almost  invariably  at  the 
back,  where  also  is  the  garden;  and  they  face  south,  so  as 
to  escape  the  northern  blast  in  winter  and  to  get  the 
benefit  of  the  breeze  in  summer,  which  then  always  blows 
from  the  south.  They  generally  have  a  recess  or  alcove 
ornamented  with  a  painted  or  written  scroll  {kakemono) 
and  a  vase  of  flowers.  Furniture  is  conspicuous  by  its 
absence.  There  are  no  tables,  no  chairs,  no  wash-hand 
stands,  no  pianoforte,  —  none  of  all  those  thousand  and 
one  things  which  we  cannot  do  without.  The  necessity 
for  bedsteads  is  obviated  by  quilts,  which  are  brought 
in  at  night  and  laid  down  wherever  may  happen  to  be 
most  convenient.  No  mahogany  dining-table  is  required 
in  a  family  where  each  member  is  served  separately  on  a 
little  lacquer  tray.  Cupboards  are,  for  the  most  part, 
openings  in  the  wall,  screened  in  by  small  paper  slides  — 
not  separate,  movable  entities.  Whatever  treasures  the 
family  may  possess  are  mostly  stowed  away  in  an  adja- 
cent building,  known  in  the  local  English  dialect  as  a 
"godown,"  that  is,  a  fireproof  storehouse  with  walls  of 
mud  or  clay. 

These  details  will  probably  suggest  a  very  uncomfort- 
able sum  total;  and  Japanese  houses  are  supremely 
uncomfortable  to  ninety-nine  Europeans  out  of  a  hun- 
dred. Nothing  to  sit  on,  no  fire  but  a  brazier  to  warm 
one's  self  by,  and  yet  abundant  danger  of  fire  to  be 

415 


JAPAN 

burnt  out  by,  no  solidity,  no  privacy,  the  deafening  clat- 
ter twice  daily  of  the  opening  and  shutting  of  the  outer 
wooden  slides,  drafts  insidiously  pouring  in  through 
innumerable  chinks  and  crannies,  darkness  whenever 
heavy  rain  makes  it  necessary  to  shut  up  one  or  more 
sides  of  the  house  —  to  these  and  to  various  other  enor- 
mities Japanese  houses  must  plead  guilty.  Two  things, 
chiefly,  are  to  be  said  on  the  other  side.  First,  these 
houses  are  cheap  —  an  essential  point  in  a  poor  country. 
Secondly,  the  people  who  live  in  them  do  not  share  our 
European  ideas  with  regard  to  comfort  and  discomfort. 
They  do  not  miss  fireplaces  or  stoves,  never  having 
realized  the  possibility  of  such  elaborate  arrangements 
for  heating.  They  do  not  mind  drafts,  having  been  inured 
to  them  from  infancy.  In  fact  an  elderly  diplomat,  who, 
during  his  sojourn  in  a  Japanese  hotel,  spent  well-nigh 
his  whole  time  in  the  vain  endeavor  to  keep  doors  shut 
and  chinks  patched  up,  used  to  exclaim  to  us,  "Mais 
les  japonais  adorent  les  courants  d'air!"  Furthermore 
the  physicians  who  have  studied  Japanese  dwelling- 
houses  from  the  point  of  view  of  hygiene  give  them  a 
clean  bill  of  health. 


THINKING  OUT  A  GARDEN 

BY  MORTIMER  MENPES 

A  Japanese  gardener  spends  his  whole  life  in  studying 
his  trade,  and  just  as  earnestly  and  just  as  comprehen- 
sively as  a  doctor  would  study  medicine.  I  was  once 
struck  by  seeing  a  little  man  sitting  on  a  box  outside  a 
silk-store  on  a  bald  spot  of  ground.  For  three  consecu- 
tive days  I  saw  this  Uttle  man  sitting  on  the  same  Httle 
box,  forever  smiling  and  knocking  out  the  ash  from  his 
miniature  pipe.  All  day  long  he  sat  there,  never  moving, 
never  talking  —  he  seemed  to  be  doing  nothing  but 
smoking  and  dreaming.  On  the  third  day  I  pointed  this 
little  man  out  to  the  merchant  who  owned  the  store, 
and  asked  what  the  little  man  was  doing  and  why  he  sat 
there.  "He's  thinking,"  said  the  merchant.  "Yes;  but 
why  must  he  think  on  that  bald  spot  of  ground?  What 
is  he  going  to  do?"  I  asked,  perplexed.  The  merchant 
gazed  at  me  in  astonishment,  mingled  with  pity.  "  Don't 
you  know?  "  he  said;  "he  is  one  of  our  greatest  landscape 
gardeners,  and  for  three  days  he  has  been  thinking  out 
a  garden  for  me.  —  If  you  care  to  come  here  in  a  few 
days,"  he  added,  "I  will  show  you  the  drawings  for  that 
garden  all  completed."  I  came  in  a  few  days,  and  I  was 
shown  the  most  exquisite  set  of  drawings  it  has  ever 
been  my  good  fortune  to  behold.  What  a  garden  it  would 
be !  There  were  full-grown  trees,  stepping-stones,  minia- 
ture bridges,  ponds  of  goldfish  —  all  presenting  an  ap- 
pearance of  vastness,  yet  in  reality  occupying  an  area 

417 


JAPAN 

the  size  of  a  small  room.  And  not  only  was  the  garden 
itself  planned  out  and  designed,  but  it  was  also  arranged 
to  form  a  pattern  in  relation  to  the  trees  and  the  houses 
and  the  surrounding  hills.  This  Httle  old  man,  without 
stirring  from  his  box  or  making  a  single  note,  had  in  those 
three  days  created  this  garden  in  his  mind's  eye,  and  on 
returning  home  had  sketched  out  the  final  arrangement. 
The  merchant  told  me  that  his  garden  would  be  com- 
pleted in  a  few  weeks,  with  full-grown  trees  flourishing 
in  it,  and  everything  planted  —  all  but  one  stone,  which 
in  all  probability  would  be  there  in  a  few  weeks,  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  it  might  not  be  placed  there  for  years. 
On  inquiring  as  to  the  reason  of  this  strange  delay,  I  was 
told  that  that  one  particular  stone,  though  insignificant 
and  unnoticeable  in  our  eyes,  occupies  a  very  prominent 
position,  and  that  upon  the  proper  placing  and  quality 
of  it  the  beauty  and  perfection  of  a  Japanese  garden 
depend  almost  entirely.  Sometimes  hundreds  and  even 
thousands  of  dollars  are  paid  for  a  large  stone  that 
happens  to  be  rightly  proportioned  and  of  the  correct 
texture  of  ruggedness  to  occupy  a  certain  position  in  a 
Japanese  garden. 


i 

J 


A  STONE   GATEWAY 


A  STONE   GATEWAY 

The  Shinto  shrines  are  exceedingly  simple.  They  are  built 
of  wood,  roofed  with  thatch,  and  are  not  made  gorgeous  by 
brilliant  coloring.  Before  each  shrine  stands  a  gateway  or 
archway,  made  by  laying  a  projecting  horizontal  bar  on  top 
of  two  upright  posts.  The  bar  was  originally  used  as  a  resting- 
place  for  fowls  which  were  ofifered  to  the  gods  to  give  warn- 
ing of  the  coming  of  day.  Gradually  this  form  of  archway 
became  a  symbol  of  the  religion,  and  countless  numbers  of 
them  were  erected. 


AN  ARTIST  IN  FLOWERS 

BY   MORTIMER  MENPES 

I  FEEL  that  I  must  give  a  slight  description  of  some  of 
the  marvelous  creations  in  purple  irises,  lilies,  and  pines 
that  the  greatest  master  in  Tokio  once  arranged  for  me 
at  my  hotel.  He  arrived  early  one  morning,  and  in  great 
good  humor,  evidently  feeling  that  I  being  an  artist,  his 
work  would  be  appreciated  and  understood.  He  carried 
with  him  his  flowers,  tenderly  wrapped  in  a  damp  cloth 
under  one  arm,  and  his  vases  under  another.  One  of  his 
most  promising  pupils,  a  girl  of  nineteen,  accompanied 
him,  acting  almost  as  a  servant  and  evidently  worship- 
ing him  as  her  master.  He  began  at  once  to  show  us  a 
decoration  of  lihes  and  reeds.  With  the  utmost  rapidity 
he  took  out  a  bunch  of  slim  reeds,  pulled  them  to  differ- 
ent lengths,  the  large  ones  at  the  back,  the  small  ones 
in  front,  and  caressed  the  whole  into  a  wooden  prong 
looking  like  a  clothes-peg,  and  arranged  it  in  a  kind  of 
vase  made  out  of  a  circular  section  of  bamboo.  An  im- 
mense amount  of  care  was  taken  with  the  handhng  of 
these  reeds,  the  master  drawing  beck  now  and  tlien  in  a 
stooping  position  with  his  hands  on  his  knees  and  his 
eyes  bolting  out  to  view  his  handiwork  critically.  Next 
he  took  some  lilies  with  their  leaves,  and  arranged  them 
in  a  metal  stand  composed  of  a  munber  of  divisions 
looking  like  cartridge-cases  cut  off.  Every  leaf  was 
twisted  and  bent  and  cut  to  improve  its  form.  The  half- 
open  lilies  were  made  to  look  as  though  they  were  grow- 

419 


JAPAN 

ing,  and  were  a  great  favorite  with  this  master  because 
of  the  scope  for  beautiful  curves  and  lines  that  they 
allowed.  Time  after  time  he  would  take  out  a  leaf  or  a 
flower,  putting  another  in  its  place,  thereby  showing  that 
he  had  absolute  command  over  his  subject,  and  a  fixed 
picture  in  his  mind  that  he  was  determined  to  produce 
at  any  cost.  The  ultimate  result  of  the  decoration  was 
perfect  naturalness.  I  never  saw  lilies  growing  on  the 
hillside  look  more  natural  than  they  did  here;  yet  each 
had  been  twisted  and  bent  into  a  set  design  laid  down  by 
the  artist.  Both  reeds  and  UUes  were  placed  in  a  wooden 
tray  partially  lacquered,  the  unlacquered  portion  repre- 
senting old  worm-eaten  wood;  pebbles  were  placed  in 
the  bottom  of  the  tray,  and  the  whole  was  flooded  with 
water.  Then  he  began  his  decoration  of  irises.  He  took 
a  bundle  of  iris  leaves,  cut  and  trimmed  them,  washing 
and  drying  each  leaf  separately,  and  sticking  them  to- 
gether in  groups  of  twos  and  threes.  With  his  finger  and 
thumb  he  gently  pressed  each  one  down  the  center,  ren- 
dering it  as  pHable  as  wire.  The  leaves  were  cut  to  a 
point  at  the  base  and  placed  in  a  metal  stand  with  con- 
secutive circles.  Then  an  iris  bud,  with  the  purple  just 
bursting,  was  placed  in  position  and  caressed  into  bloom. 
The  whole  was  syringed  with  water  and  carefully  placed 
in  a  corner  of  the  room. 

I  have  described  these  few  flower  arrangements  in 
detail  in  order  to  show  the  exactitude  of  the  work  and 
the  immense  amount  of  care  taken  by  professors  in 
flower  arrangement.  On  this  particular  occasion  I  had 
invited  some  friends  to  enjoy  the  professor's  master- 
pieces with  me,  and  he  had  just  completed  a  most  ex- 
quisite production,  by  far  the  best  and  finest  he  had 

420 


AN  ARTIST  IN  FLOWERS 

achieved  that  day.  It  was  an  arrangement  of  pine  with 
one  great  jutting  bough,  perfectly  balanced  —  in  fact, 
a  veritable  work  of  art.  The  professor  was  a  true  artist; 
he  loved  his  work,  and  it  was  all  the  world  to  him. 

For  once  he  was  content,  and  had  just  leaned  back  to 
view  his  work  through  half-closed  eyes  when  in  a  flash 
an  Oxford  straw  hat  was  clapped  down  right  on  top  of  it. 
It  was  the  husband  of  one  of  my  friends  just  returned 
from  a  walk,  full  of  spirits  and  boisterously  happy.  It 
was  a  cruel  thing  to  do ;  but  he  did  not  realize  the  horror 
of  his  act.  He  saw  a  bough  sticking  right  out  of  a  pot, 
and  it  seemed  to  him  a  suitable  place  to  hang  his  hat  on: 
so  he  hung  his  there  —  that  was  all.  The  httle  assistant 
gave  one  frightened  look  at  her  master,  and  began  to 
pack  up  the  utensils  at  once;  the  professor  drew  himself 
up  in  a  very  dignified  way,  bowed  profoundly,  and  left 
the  hotel.  I  never  saw  him  again,  and  I  knew  that  I 
never  should  —  for  he  went  away  crushed. 


HOW  A  JAPANESE  PAINTS 

BY  MORTIMER  MENPES 

[KiYOSAi  is  the  greatest  of  all  living  Japanese  artists. 

The  Editor.] 

KiYOSAi  next  began  to  discuss  drawing,  and,  as  he  was 
speaking  to  an  Englishman,  English  drawing  in  particu- 
lar. "  I  hear  that  when  artists  in  England  are  painting," 
he  said,  "if  they  are  painting  a  bird,  they  stand  that 
bird  up  in  their  back  garden,  or  in  their  studio,  and  begin 
to  paint  it  at  once,  then  and  there,  never  quite  deciding 
what  they  are  going  to  paint,  never  thinking  of  the  par- 
ticular pose  and  action  of  the  bird  that  is  to  be  repre- 
sented on  the  canvas.  Now,  suppose  that  bird  suddenly 
moves  one  leg  up  —  what  does  the  English  artist  do 
then?  "  He  could  not  understand  how  an  English  painter 
could  paint  with  the  model  before  him.  I  naturally  told 
him  that  they  copied  what  they  saw;  that  they  got  over 
the  dijB&culty  as  best  they  could.  "I  do  not  understand 
that,"  he  said.  ''In  my  own  practice  I  look  at  the  bird; 
I  want  to  paint  him  as  he  is.  He  has  got  a  pose.  Good! 
Then  he  suddenly  puts  down  his  head,  and  there  is  an- 
other pose.  The  bare  fact  of  the  bird  being  there  in  an 
altered  pose  would  compel  me  to  alter  my  idea ;  and  so 
on,  until  at  last  I  could  paint  nothing  at  all."  I  asked 
him  what,  then,  was  his  method.  "  I  watch  my  bird,"  he 
replied,  "and  the  particular  pose  I  wish  to  copy,  before 
I  attempt  to  represent  it.  I  observe  that  very  closely 
until  he  moves  and  the  attitude  is  altered.    Then  I  go 

422 


HOW  A  JAPANESE  PAINTS 

away  and  record  as  much  of  that  particular  pose  as  I  can 
remember.  Perhaps  I  may  be  able  to  put  down  only 
three  or  four  lines;  but  directly  I  have  lost  the  impres- 
sion I  stop.  Then  I  go  back  again  and  study  that  bird 
until  it  takes  the  same  position  as  before.  And  then  I 
again  try  and  retain  as  much  as  I  can  of  it.  In  this  way 
I  began  by  spending  a  whole  day  in  a  garden  watching 
a  bird  and  its  particular  attitude,  and  in  the  end  I  have 
remembered  the  pose  so  well  by  continually  trying  to 
represent  it,  that  I  am  able  to  repeat  it  entirely  from  my 
impression  —  but  not  from  the  bird.  It  is  a  hindrance 
to  have  the  model  before  me  when  I  have  a  mental  note 
of  the  pose.  What  I  do  is  a  painting  from  memory,  and 
it  is  a  true  impression.  I  have  filled  hundreds  of  sketch- 
books," he  continued,  "of  different  sorts  of  birds  and 
fish  and  other  things,  and  have  at  last  got  a  facility,  and 
have  trained  my  memory  to  such  an  extent,  that  by 
observing  the  rapid  action  of  a  bird  I  can  nearly  always 
retain  and  produce  it.  By  a  lifelong  training  I  have  made 
my  memory  so  keen  that  I  think  I  may  say  I  can  repro- 
duce anything  I  have  once  seen." 


HOW  TO  TALK  POLITELY  IN    JAPAN 

BY  PERCIVAL   LOWELL 

You  are,  we  will  suppose,  at  a  tea-house,  and  you  wish 
for  sugar.  The  following  almost  stereotyped  conversation 
is  pretty  sure  to  take  place.  I  translate  it  literally,  sim- 
ply prefacing  that  every  tea-house  girl,  usually  in  the 
first  blush  of  youth,  is  generically  addressed  as  "elder 
sister,"  —  another  honorific,  at  least  so  considered  in 
Japan, 

You  clap  your  hands.  {Enter  tea-house  maiden.) 

You.   Hai,  elder  sister,  augustly  exists  there  sugar? 

The  T.  H.  M.  The  honorable  sugar,  augustly  is  it? 

You.  So,  augustly. 

The  T.H.M.  He  (indescribable  expression  of  assent). 

{Exit  tea-house  maiden  to  fetch  the  sugar.) 

Now  the  "augustlies"  go  almost  without  saying,  but 
why  is  the  sugar  honorable?  Simply  because  it  is  even- 
tually going  to  be  offered  to  you.  But  she  would  have 
spoken  of  it  by  precisely  the  same  respectful  title,  if  she 
had  been  obliged  to  inform  you  that  there  was  none,  in 
which  case  it  never  could  have  become  yours.  Such  is 
politeness.  We  may  note,  in  passing,  that  all  her  remarks 
and  all  yours,  barring  your  initial  question,  meant  abso- 
lutely nothing.  She  understood  you  perfectly  from  the 
first,  and  you  knew  she  did;  but  then,  if  all  of  us  were  to 
say  only  what  were  necessary,  the  delightful  art  of  con- 
versation would  soon  be  nothing  but  a  science. 


IV 

THE   AWAKENING    OF   JAPAN 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

In  1852  it  was  learned  that  some  American  seamen  wrecked 
on  the  Japanese  coast  had  been  harshly  treated.  Commo- 
dore M,  C.  Perry  was  sent  to  protest  and  demand  protection 
in  such  cases.  He  succeeded  not  only  in  this,  but  also  in  the 
making  of  a  treaty  opening  the  country  to  commerce.  Trade 
with  other  countries  was  soon  allowed.  The  office  of  shogun 
was  abohshed  in  1868,  full  power  was  restored  to  the  mikado, 
and  the  old  order  of  feudalism  came  to  an  end.  Teachers, 
army  officers,  and  engineers  were  invited  from  Europe  and 
America  to  assist  in  the  rebirth  of  Japan.  Western  laws  were 
introduced,  the  nobility  reorganized,  a  constitution  granted, 
and  in  1891  the  first  parhament  met.  These  tremendous 
changes  were  not  made  without  protest,  however,  and  when 
the  wearing  of  swords  was  forbidden,  the  samurai  or  military 
class  of  the  province  of  Satsuma  rose  in  an  insurrection  that 
cost  20,000  lives  before  it  was  subdued. 

In  1894  war  with  China  broke  out  in  regard  to  Korea.  The 
result  was  the  total  defeat  of  China,  the  surrender  of  the 
island  of  Formosa  to  Japan,  the  payment  of  a  large  indem- 
nity, and  the  independence  of  Korea.  After  the  Boxer  upris- 
ing of  1899  in  China,  the  Russians  continued  to  occupy 
Manchuria,  contrary  to  agreement.  This,  added  to  earlier 
causes  of  annoyance,  led  in  1904  to  the  Russo-Japanese  War. 
Japan  by  an  unbroken  series  of  victories  swept  back  the 
forces  of  Russia  and  destroyed  her  navy.  By  the  treaty  of 
peace  signed  at  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  in  1905,  Japan 
obtained  half  of  the  island  of  Sakhalin,  Port  Arthur  and 
adjacent  territory,  and  control  of  Korea. 


i 


WHEN   COMMODORE   PERRY  LANDED  IN 
JAPAN 

COMPILED  BY  FRANCIS  L.  HAWKS  FROM  THE  NOTES  AND 
JOURNALS  OF  COMMODORE  PERRY  AND  HIS  OFFICERS 

[The  expedition  to  Japan,  which  resulted  in  a  treaty  of 
peace  between  that  country  and  the  United  States  in  1854, 
was  organized  and  commanded  by  Commodore  Perry. 

The  Editor.] 

As  the  atmosphere  cleared  and  the  shores  were  disclosed 
to  view,  the  steady  labors  of  the  Japanese  during  the 
night  were  revealed  in  the  showy  effect  on  the  Uraga 
shore.  Ornamental  screens  of  cloth  had  been  so  arranged 
as  to  give  a  more  distinct  prominence,  as  well  as  the 
appearance  of  greater  size  to  the  bastions  and  forts ;  and 
two  tents  had  been  spread  among  the  trees.  The  screens 
were  stretched  tightly  in  the  usual  way  upon  posts  of 
wood,  and  each  interval  between  the  hosts  was  thus 
distinctly  marked,  and  had,  in  the  distance,  the  appear- 
ance of  paneling.  Upon  these  seeming  panels  were  em- 
blazoned the  imperial  arms,  alternating  with  the  device 
of  a  scarlet  flower  bearing  large  heart-shaped  leaves. 
Flags  and  streamers,  upon  which  were  various  designs 
represented  in  gay  colors,  himg  from  the  several  angles 
of  the  screens,  while  behind  them  thronged  crowds  of 
soldiers,  arrayed  in  a  costume  which  had  not  been  be- 
fore observed,  and  which  was  supposed  to  belong  to 
high  occasions  only.  The  main  portion  of  the  dress 
was  a  species  of  frock  of  a  dark  color,  with  short  skirts, 

427 


JAPAN 

the  waists  of  which  were  gathered  in  with  a  sash,  and 
which  was  without  sleeves,  the  arms  of  the  wearers 
being  bare. 

All  on  board  the  ships  were  alert  from  the  earhest 
hour,  making  the  necessary  preparations.  Steam  was 
got  up  and  the  anchors  were  weighed  that  the  ships 
might  be  moved  to  a  position  where  their  guns  would 
command  the  place  of  reception.  The  sailing-vessels, 
however,  because  of  a  calm,  were  imable  to  get  into 
position.  The  officers,  seamen,  and  marines  who  were 
to  accompany  the  Commodore  were  selected,  and  as 
large  a  number  of  them  mustered  as  could  possibly  be 
spared  from  the  whole  squadron.  All,  of  course,  were 
eager  to  bear  a  part  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  day,  but 
all  could  not  possibly  go,  as  a  sufficient  number  must 
be  left  to  do  ships'  duty.  Many  of  the  officers  and  men 
were  selected  by  lot,  and  when  the  full  complement, 
which  amounted  to  nearly  three  hundred,  was  filled 
up,  each  one  busied  himself  in  getting  his  person  ready 
for  the  occasion.  The  officers,  as  had  been  ordered,  were 
in  full  official  dress,  while  the  sailors  and  marines  were  in 
their  naval  and  mihtary  uniforms  of  blue  and  white. 

Before  eight  bells  in  the  morning  watch  had  struck, 
the  Susquehanna  and  Mississippi  moved  slowly  down 
the  bay.  Simultaneously  with  this  movement  of  our 
ships,  six  Japanese  boats  were  observed  to  sail  in  the 
same  direction,  but  more  within  the  land.  The  govern- 
ment striped  flag  distinguished  two  of  them,  showing 
the  presence  on  board  of  some  high  officials,  while  the 
others  carried  red  banners,  and  were  supposed  to  have 
on  board  a  retinue  or  guard  of  soldiers.  On  doubling 
the  headland  which  separated  the  former  anchorage 

428 


COMMODORE   PERRY   IN  JAPAN 

from  the  bay  below,  the  preparations  of  the  Japanese 
on  the  shore  came  suddenly  into  view.  The  land  border- 
ing the  head  of  the  bay  was  gay  with  a  long  stretch  of 
painted  screens  of  cloth,  upon  which  was  emblazoned 
the  arms  of  the  Emperor.  Nine  tall  standards  stood  in 
the  center  of  an  immense  number  of  banners  of  divers 
lively  colors,  which  were  arranged  on  either  side,  until 
the  whole  formed  a  crescent  of  variously  tinted  flags, 
which  fluttered  brightly  in  the  rays  of  the  morning  sun. 
From  the  tall  standards  were  suspended  broad  pennons 
of  rich  scarlet  which  swept  the  ground  with  their  flow- 
ing length.  On  the  beach  in  front  of  this  display  were 
ranged  regiments  of  soldiers,  who  stood  in  fixed  order, 
evidently  arrayed  to  give  an  appearance  of  martial 
force,  that  the  Americans  might  be  duly  impressed  with 
the  military  power  of  the  Japanese. 

As  the  beholder  faced  the  bay,  he  saw  on  the  left  of 
the  village  of  Gori-Hama  a  straggling  group  of  peaked- 
roofed  houses,  built  between  the  beach  and  the  base  of 
the  high  ground  which  ran  in  green  acclivities  behind, 
and  ascended  from  height  to  height  to  the  distant 
mountains.  A  luxuriant  valley  or  gorge,  walled  in  with 
richly  wooded  hills,  opened  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  and 
breaking  the  uniformity  of  the  curve  of  the  shore  gave  a 
beautiful  variety  to  the  landscape.  On  the  right  some 
hundred  Japanese  boats,  or  more,  were  arranged  in  par- 
allel lines  along  the  margin  of  the  shore,  with  a  red  flag 
flying  at  the  stern  of  each.  The  whole  effect,  though  not 
startUng,  was  novel  and  cheerful,  and  everything  com- 
bined to  give  a  pleasing  aspect  to  the  picture.  The  day 
was  bright,  with  a  clear  sunlight  which  seemed  to  give 
fresh  vitality  alike  to  the  verdant  hillsides,  and  the  gay 

429 


JAPAN 

banners,  and  the '  glittering  soldiery.  Back  from  the 
beach,  opposite  the  center  of  the  curved  shore  of  the 
bay,  the  building,  just  constructed  for  the  reception, 
rose  in  three  pyramidal-shaped  roofs,  high  above  the 
surrounding  houses.  It  was  covered  in  front  by  striped 
cloth,  which  was  extended  in  screens  to  either  side.  It 
had  a  new,  fresh  look,  indicative  of  its  recent  erection, 
and  with  its  peaked  summits  was  not  unlike,  in  the  dis- 
tance, a  group  of  very  large  ricks  of  grain. 

Two  boats  approached  as  the  steamers  entered  the 
opening  of  the  bay,  and  when  the  anchors  were  dropped 
they  came  alongside  the  Susquehanna,  Kayama  Ye- 
zaiman,  with  his  two  interpreters,  came  on  board,  fol- 
lowed immediately  by  Nagazima  Saboroske  and  an 
officer  in  attendance,  who  had  come  in  the  second  boat. 
They  were  duly  received  at  the  gangway  and  conducted 
to  seats  on  the  quarter-deck.  All  were  dressed  in  full 
official  costume,  somewhat  different  from  their  ordinary 
garments.  Their  gowns,  though  of  the  usual  shape,  were 
much  more  elaborately  adorned.  The  material  was  of 
very  rich  silk  brocade  of  gay  colors,  turned  up  with 
yellow  velvet,  and  the  whole  dress  was  highly  embroi- 
dered with  gold  lace  in  various  figures,  upon  which 
was  conspicuously  displayed  on  the  back,  sleeves,  and 
breast  the  arms  of  the  wearer.  .  .  . 

A  signal  was  now  hoisted  from  the  Susquehanna  as  a 
summons  for  the  boats  from  the  other  ships,  and  in  the 
course  of  half  an  hour  they  had  all  pulled  alongside  with 
their  various  officers,  sailors,  and  marines,  detailed  for 
the  day's  ceremonies.  The  launches  and  cutters  num- 
bered no  less  than  fifteen,  and  presented  quite  an  im- 
posing array;  and  with  all  on  board  them,  in  proper 

430 


COMMODORE   PERRY   IN  JAPAN 

uniform,  a  picturesque  effect  was  not  wanting.  Captain 
Buchanan,  having  taken  his  place  in  his  barge,  led  the 
way,  flanked  on  either  side  by  the  two  Japanese  boats 
containing  the  governor  and  vice-governor  of  Uraga 
with  their  respective  suites;  and  these  dignitaries  acted 
as  masters  of  ceremony  and  pointed  out  the  course  to 
the  American  flotilla.  The  rest  of  the  ships'  boats  fol- 
lowed after  in  order,  with  the  cutters  containing  the 
two  bands  of  the  steamers,  who  enlivened  the  occasion 
with  their  cheerful  music. 

The  boats  skimmed  briskly  over  the  smooth  waters; 
for  such  was  the  skill  and  consequent  rapidity  of  the 
Japanese  scullers  that  our  sturdy  oarsmen  were  put  to 
their  mettle  to  keep  up  with  their  guides.  When  the 
boats  had  reached  halfway  to  the  shore,  the  thirteen 
guns  of  the  Susquehanna  began  to  boom  away  and  re- 
echo among  the  hills.  This  announced  the  departure  of 
the  Commodore,  who,  stepping  into  his  barge,  was 
rowed  off  to  the  land. 

The  guides  in  the  Japanese  boats  pointed  to  the  land- 
ing-place toward  the  center  of  the  curved  shore,  where 
a  temporary  wharf  had  been  built  out  from  the  beach 
by  means  of  bags  of  sand  and  straw.  The  advance  boat 
soon  touched  the  spot,  and  Captain  Buchanan,  who 
commanded  the  party,  sprang  ashore,  being  the  first 
of  the  Americans  who  landed  in  the  Kingdom  of  Japan. 
He  was  immediately  followed  by  Major  Zeilin,  of  the 
marines.  The  rest  of  the  boats  now  pulled  in  and  dis- 
embarked their  respective  loads.  The  marines  (one 
hundred)  marched  up  the  wharf  and  formed  into  line 
on  either  side,  facing  the  sea;  then  came  the  hundred 
sailors,  who  were  also  ranged  in  rank  and  file  as  they 

431 


JAPAN 

advanced,  while  the  two  bands  brought  up  the  rear. 
The  whole  number  of  Americans,  including  sailors,  ma- 
rines, musicians,  and  ofl&cers,  amounted  to  nearly  three 
hundred;  no  very  formidable  array,  but  still  quite 
enough  for  a  peaceful  occasion,  and  composed  of  very 
vigorous,  able-bodied  men,  who  contrasted  strongly 
with  the  smaller  and  more  effeminate-looking  Japanese. 
These  latter  had  mustered  in  great  force,  the  amount  of 
which  the  Governor  of  Uraga  stated  to  be  five  thousand; 
but,  seemingly,  they  far  outnumbered  that.  Their  hne 
extended  around  the  whole  circuit  of  the  beach,  from 
the  farther  extremity  of  the  village  to  the  abrupt  accliv- 
ity of  the  hill  which  bounded  the  bay  on  the  northern 
side;  while  an  immense  number  of  the  soldiers  thronged 
in  behind  and  under  cover  of  the  cloth  screens  which 
stretched  along  the  rear.  The  loose  order  of  this  Jap- 
anese army  did  not  betoken  any  very  great  degree  of 
discipline.  The  soldiers  were  tolerably  well  armed  and 
equipped.  Their  uniform  was  very  much  like  the  ordi- 
nary Japanese  dress.  Their  arms  were  swords,  spears,  and 
matchlocks.  These  in  front  were  all  infantry,  archers, 
and  lancers;  but  large  bodies  of  cavalry  were  seen  behind 
somewhat  in  the  distance,  as  if  held  in  reserve.  The 
horses  of  these  seemed  of  a  fine  breed,  hardy,  of  good 
bottom,  and  brisk  in  action;  and  these  troopers,  with 
their  rich  caparisons,  presented  at  least  a  showy  caval- 
cade. Along  the  base  of  the  rising  ground  which  ascended 
behind  the  village,  and  entirely  in  the  rear  of  the  soldiers, 
was  a  large  number  of  the  inhabitants,  among  whom  there 
was  quite  an  assemblage  of  women,  who  gazed  with  intense 
curiosity,  through  the  openings  in  the  line  of  the  military, 
upon  the  stranger  visitors  from  another  hemisphere. 

432 


COMMODORE   PERRY  IN  JAPAN 

On  the  arrival  of  the  Commodore,  his  suite  of  officers 
formed  a  double  line  along  the  landing-place,  and  as  he 
passed  up  between,  they  fell  into  order  behind  him. 
The  procession  was  then  formed  and  took  up  its  march 
toward  the  house  of  reception,  the  route  to  which  was 
pointed  out  by  Kayama  Yezaiman  and  his  interpreter, 
who  preceded  the  party.  The  marines  led  the  way,  and 
the  sailors  following,  the  Commodore  was  duly  escorted 
up  the  beach.  The  United  States  flag  and  the  broad 
pennant  were  borne  by  two  athletic  seamen,  who  had 
been  selected  from  the  crews  of  the  squadron  on  account 
of  their  stalwart  proportions.  Two  boys,  dressed  for 
the  ceremony,  preceded  the  Commodore,  bearing  in  an 
envelope  of  scarlet  cloth  the  boxes  which  contained  his 
credentials  and  the  President's  letter.  These  documents, 
of  folio  size,  were  beautifully  written  on  vellum,  and 
not  folded,  but  bound  in  blue  silk  velvet.  Each  seal, 
attached  by  cords  of  interwoven  gold  and  silk  with 
pendent  gold  tassels,  was  encased  in  a  circular  box  six 
inches  in  diameter  and  three  in  depth,  wrought  of  pure 
gold.  Each  of  the  documents,  together  with  its  seal, 
was  placed  in  a  box  of  rosewood  about  a  foot  long,  with 
lock,  hinges,  and  mountings  all  of  gold.  On  either  side 
of  the  Commodore  marched  a  tall,  well-formed  Negro, 
who,  armed  to  the  teeth,  acted  as  his  personal  guard. 
These  blacks,  selected  for  the  occasion,  were  two  of  the 
best- looking  fellows  of  their  color  that  the  squadron 
could  furnish.   All  this,  of  course,  was  but  for  effect. 

The  procession  was  obhged  to  make  a  somewhat  cir- 
cular movement  to  reach  the  entrance  of  the  house  of 
reception.  This  gave  a  good  opportunity  for  the  display 
of  the  escort.   The  building,  which  was  but  a  short  dis- 

433 


JAPAN 

tance  from  the  landing,  was  soon  reached.  In  front  of 
the  entrance  were  two  small  brass  cannon  which  were 
old  and  apparently  of  European  manufacture;  on  either 
side  were  grouped  a  rather  stragghng  company  of  Jap- 
anese guards,  whose  costume  was  different  from  that  of 
the  other  soldiers.  Those  on  the  right  were  dressed  in 
tunics,  gathered  in  at  the  waist  with  broad  sashes,  and 
in  full  trousers  of  a  gray  color,  the  capacious  width  of 
which  was  drawn  in  at  the  knees,  while  their  heads  were 
bound  with  a  white  cloth  in  the  form  of  a  turban.  They 
were  armed  with  muskets  upon  which  bayonets  and 
flint-locks  were  observed.  The  guards  on  the  left  were 
dressed  in  a  rather  dingy,  brown-colored  uniform  turned 
up  with  yellow,  and  carried  old-fashioned  matchlocks. 
The  Commodore  having  been  escorted  to  the  door 
of  the  house  of  reception,  entered  with  his  suite.  The 
bmlding  showed  marks  of  hasty  erection,  and  the  tim- 
bers and  boards  of  pine  wood  were  numbered,  as  if  they 
had  been  fashioned  previously  and  brought  to  the  spot 
all  ready  to  be  put  together.  The  first  portion  of  the 
structure  entered  was  a  kind  of  tent,  principally  con- 
structed of  painted  canvas,  upon  which  in  various 
places  the  imperial  arms  were  painted.  Its  area  in- 
closed a  space  of  nearly  forty  feet  square.  Beyond  this 
entrance  hall  was  an  inner  apartment  to  which  a  car- 
peted path  led.  The  floor  of  the  outer  room  was 
generally  covered  with  white  cloth,  but  through  its 
center  passed  a  slip  of  red-colored  carpet,  which  showed 
the  direction  to  the  interior  chamber.  This  latter  was 
entirely  carpeted  with  red  cloth,  and  was  the  state 
apartment  of  the  building  where  the  reception  was  to 
take  place.   Its  floor  was  somewhat  raised,  like  a  dais, 

434 


COMMODORE   PERRY   IN  JAPAN 

above  the  general  level,  and  was  handsomely  adorned 
for  the  occasion.  Violet-colored  hangings  of  silk  and 
fine  cotton,  with  the  imperial  coat  of  arms  embroidered 
in  white,  hung  from  the  walls  which  inclosed  the  iimer 
room,  on  three  sides,  while  the  front  was  left  open  to 
the  antechamber  or  outer  room. 

As  the  Commodore  and  his  suite  ascended  to  the 
reception  room,  the  two  dignitaries  who  were  seated  on 
the  left  arose  and  bowed,  and  the  Commodore  and  suite 
were  conducted  to  the  armchairs  which  had  been  pro- 
vided for  them  on  the  right.  The  interpreters  announced 
the  names  and  titles  of  the  high  Japanese  functionaries 
as  Toda-Idzu-no-kami,  Toda,  Prince  of  Idzu,  and  Ido- 
Owami-no-kami,  Ido,  Prince  of  Iwami.  They  were  both 
men  of  advanced  years,  the  former  apparently  about 
fifty,  and  the  latter  some  ten  or  fifteen  years  older. 
Prince  Toda  was  the  better-looking  man  of  the  two, 
and  the  intellectual  expression  of  his  large  forehead  and 
amiable  look  of  his  regular  features  contrasted  very 
favorably  with  the  more  wrinkled  and  contracted  and 
less  intelligent  face  of  his  associate,  the  Prince  of  Iwami. 
They  were  both  very  richly  dressed,  their  garments 
being  of  heavy  silk  brocade  interwoven  with  elaborately 
wrought  figures  in  gold  and  silver. 

From  the  beginning  the  two  princes  had  assumed  an 
air  of  statuesque  formahty,  which  they  preserved  during 
the  whole  interview,  as  they  never  spoke  a  word,  and 
rose  from  their  seats  only  at  the  entrance  and  exit  of 
the  Commodore,  when  they  made  a  grave  and  formal 
bow.  Yezaiman  and  his  interpreters  acted  as  masters 
of  ceremony  during  the  occasion.  On  entering,  they 
took  their  positions  at  the  upper  end  of  the  room,  kneel- 

435 


JAPAN 

ing  down  beside  a  large  lacquered  box  of  scarlet  color, 
supported  by  feet,  gilt  or  brass. 

For  some  time  after  the  Commodore  and  his  suite  had 
taken  their  seats  there  was  a  pause  of  some  minutes, 
not  a  word  being  uttered  on  either  side.  Tatznoske,  the 
principal  interpreter,  was  the  first  to  break  silence, 
which  he  did  by  asking  Mr.  Portman,  the  Dutch  inter- 
preter, whether  the  letters  were  ready  for  dehvery,  and 
stating  that  the  Prince  Toda  was  prepared  to  receive 
them;  and  that  the  scarlet  box  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
room  was  prepared  as  the  receptacle  for  them.  The 
Commodore,  upon  this  being  communicated  to  him, 
beckoned  to  the  boys  who  stood  in  the  lower  hall  to 
advance,  when  they  immediately  obeyed  his  summons 
and  came  forward,  bearing  the  handsome  boxes  which 
contained  the  President's  letter  and  other  documents. 
The  two  stalwart  Negroes  followed  immediately  in  rear 
of  the  boys,  and  marching  up  to  the  scarlet  receptacle 
received  the  boxes  from  the  hands  of  the  bearers,  opened 
them,  took  out  the  letters,  and,  displaying  the  writing 
and  seals,  laid  them  upon  the  lid  of  the  Japanese  box, 
all  in  perfect  silence. 

[The  letter  of  the  President,  Millard  Fillmore,  ex- 
pressed the  kindly  feelings  of  the  United  States  toward  Ja- 
pan and  his  desire  that  there  should  be  friendship  and 
trade  between  the  two  countries.  The  documents  were  laid 
upon  the  scarlet  box  and  a  formal  receipt  was  given  for 
them.) 

Yezaiman  and  Tatznoske  now  bowed,  and,  rising 
from  their  knees,  drew  the  fastenings  around  the  scarlet 
box,  and  informing  the  Commodore's  interpreter  that 
there  was  nothing  more  to  be  done,  passed  out  of  the 

436 


COMMODORE   PERRY  IN  JAPAN 

apartment,  bowing  to  those  on  either  side  as  they  went. 
The  Commodore  now  rose  to  take  leave,  and,  as  he  de- 
parted, the  two  princes,  still  preserving  absolute  silence, 
also  arose  and  stood  until  the  strangers  had  passed  from 
their  presence. 

The  Commodore  and  his  suite  were  detained  a  short 
time  at  the  entrance  of  the  building  waiting  for  their 
barge,  whereupon  Yezaiman  and  his  interpreter  returned 
and  asked  some  of  the  party  what  they  were  waiting 
for;  to  which  they  received  the  reply,  ''For  the  Com- 
modore's boat."  Nothing  further  was  said.  The  whole 
interview  had  not  occupied  more  than  from  twenty  to 
thirty  minutes,  and  had  been  conducted  with  the  great- 
est formality,  though  with  the  most  perfect  courtesy  in 
every  respect. 

The  procession  re-formed  as  before,  and  the  Commo- 
dore was  escorted  to  his  barge,  and,  embarking,  was 
rowed  off  toward  his  ship,  followed  by  the  other  Ameri- 
can and  the  two  Japanese '  boats  which  contained  the 
Governor  of  Uraga  and  his  attendants,  the  bands  mean- 
while playing  our  national  airs  with  great  spirit  as  the 
boats  pulled  off  to  the  ships. 


THE  PRESIDENT'S  LETTER 

BY  TOWNSEND  HARRIS,  FIRST  AMERICAN  ENVOY 
TO  JAPAN 

I  STARTED  for  my  audience  about  ten  o'clock  with  the 
same  escort  as  on  my  visit  to  the  Minister,  but  my 
guards  all  wore  kami-shimos  and  breeches  which  only 
covered  half  the  thigh,  leaving  all  the  rest  of  the  leg 
bare.  My  dress  was  a  coat  embroidered  with  gold  after 
the  pattern  furnished  by  the  State  Department,  blue 
pantaloons  with  a  broad  gold  band  running  down  each 
leg,  cocked  hat  with  gold  tassels,  and  a  pearl-handled 
dress-sword. 

Mr.  Heusken's  dress  was  the  undress  navy  uniform, 
regulation  sword  and  cocked  hat.  We  crossed  the  moat 
by  a  bridge  that  was  about  half  a  mile  from  my  house. 
On  arriving  at  the  second  moat,  all  were  required  to 
leave  their  norimonos  except  the  Prince  of  Shinano  and 
myself.  When  we  arrived  within  about  three  hundred 
yards  of  the  last  bridge  Shinano  also  left  his  norimono; 
and  our  horses,  his  spears,  etc.,  etc.,  with  the  ordinary 
attendants,  all  remained.  I  was  carried  up  to  the  bridge 
itself;  and,  as  they  say,  farther  than  a  Japanese  was  ever 
carried  before,  and  here  I  dismounted,  giving  the  Presi- 
dent's letter,  which  I  had  brought  in  my  norimono,  to 
Mr.  Heusken  to  carry.  We  crossed  this  bridge,  and  at 
some  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  yards  from 
the  gate  I  entered  the  audience  hall.  Before  entering 
here,  however,  I  put  on  the  new  shoes  I  had  worn  on  my 

438 


THE   PRESIDENT'S   LETTER 

visit  to  the  Minister,  and  the  Japanese  did  not  even  ask 
me  to  go  in  my  stocking-feet. 

As  I  entered  the  vestibule  I  was  met  by  two  ofl5cers 
of  the  household.  We  stopped,  faced  each  other,  and 
then  bowed;  they  then  led  me  along  a  hall  to  a  room 
where,  on  entering,  I  found  the  two  chairs  and  a  com- 
fortable brazier.  I  should  here  note  that  tobacco  is  not 
served  among  the  refreshments  of  the  palace.  I  again 
drank  the  "tea  gruel." 

The  breeches  are  the  great  feature  of  the  dress ;  they 
are  made  of  yellow  silk,  and  the  legs  are  some  six  to 
seven  feet  long !  Consequently,  when  the  wearer  walks, 
they  stream  out  behind  him,  and  give  him  the  appear- 
ance of  walking  on  his  knees,  an  illusion  which  is  helped 
out  by  the  short  stature  of  the  Japanese  and  the  great 
width,  over  the  shoulders,  of  their  kami-shimos . 

The  cap  is  also  a  great  curiosity,  and  defies  descrip- 
tion; it  is  made  of  a  black  varnished  material,  and  looks 
like  a  Scotch  Kalmarnock  cap,  which  has  been  opened 
only  some  three  inches  wide,  and  is  fantastically  perched 
on  the  very  apex  of  the  head ;  the  front  comes  just  to  the 
top  edge  of  the  forehead,  but  the  back  projects  some  dis- 
tance behind  the  head.  This  extraordinary  affair  is  kept 
in  place  by  a  light-colored  silk  cord  which,  passing  over 
the  top  of  the  "Coronet,"  passes  down  over  the  temples 
and  is  tied  under  the  chin.  A  lashing  runs  horizontally 
across  the  forehead,  and  being  attached  to  the  perpen- 
dicular cord,  passes  behind  the  head,  where  it  is  tied. 

My  friend  Shinano  was  very  anxious  to  have  me  enter 
the  audience  chamber  and  rehearse  my  part.  This  I 
declined  as  gently  as  I  could,  telling  him  that  the  general 
customs  of  all  courts  were  so  similar  that  I  had  no  fear 

439 


JAPAN 

of  making  any  mistakes,  particularly  as  he  had  kindly 
explained  their  part  of  the  ceremony,  while  my  part  was 
to  be  done  after  our  Western  fashion.  I  really  beheve 
he  was  anxious  that  I  should  perform  my  part  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  make  a  favorable  impression  on  those  who 
would  see  me  for  the  first  time.  I  discovered  also  that 
I  had  purposely  been  brought  to  the  palace  a  good  hour 
before  the  time,  so  that  he  might  get  through  his  re- 
hearsal before  the  time  for  my  actual  audience.  Finding 
I  declined  the  rehearsal,  I  was  again  taken  to  the  room 
that  I  first  entered,  which  was  comfortably  warm  and 
had  chairs  to  sit  on.  Tea  was  again  served  to  me. 

At  last  I  was  informed  that  the  time  had  arrived  for 
my  audience,  and  I  passed  down  by  the  poor  daimios, 
who  were  still  seated  Uke  so  many  statues  in  the  same 
place;  but  when  I  had  got  as  far  as  their  front  rank,  I 
passed  in  front  of  their  line  and  halted  on  their  right 
flank,  toward  which  I  faced.  Shinano  here  threw  him- 
self on  his  hands  and  knees.  I  stood  behind  him,  and 
Mr.  Heusken  was  just  behind  me. 

The  audience  chamber  faced  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  room  in  which  the  great  audience  was  seated,  but 
separated  from  it  by  the  usual  sHding  doors;  so  that  al- 
though they  could  see  me  pass  and  hear  all  that  was  said 
at  the  audience,  they  could  not  see  into  the  chamber. 
At  length,  on  a  signal  being  made,  the  Prince  of  Shinano 
began  to  crawl  along  on  his  hands  and  knees,  and  when 
I  half  turned  to  the  right  and  entered  the  audience 
chamber,  a  chamberlain  called  out  in  a  loud  voice  "Em- 
bassador Merican!"  I  halted  about  six  feet  from  the 
door  and  bowed,  then  proceeded  nearly  to  the  middle  of 
the  room,  where  I  again  halted  and  bowed.   Again  pro- 

440 


THE   PRESIDENT'S   LETTER 

ceeding,  I  stopped  about  ten  feet  from  the  end  of  the 
room,  exactly  opposite  to  the  Prince  of  Bitchiu  on  my 
right  hand,  where  he  and  the  other  five  members  of  the 
Great  Council  were  prostrate  on  their  faces.  On  my  left 
hand  were  three  brothers  of  the  Tai-kun  prostrated  in 
the  same  manner,  and  all  of  them  being  "end  on"  to- 
wards me.  After  a  pause  of  a  few  seconds  I  addressed 
the  Tai-kun  as  follows :  — 

"May  it  please  your  Majesty:  In  presenting  my  let- 
ters of  credence  from  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
I  am  directed  to  express  to  your  Majesty  the  sincere 
wishes  of  the  President  for  your  health  and  happiness 
and  for  the  prosperity  of  your  dominions.  I  consider  it 
a  great  honor  that  I  have  been  selected  to  fill  the  high 
and  important  place  of  Plenipotentiary  of  the  United 
States  at  the  court  of  your  Majesty,  and  as  my  earnest 
wishes  are  to  unite  the  two  countries  more  closely  in 
the  ties  of  enduring  friendship,  my  constant  exertions 
shall  be  directed  to  the  attainment  of  that  happy  end." 

Here  I  stopped  and  bowed. 

After  a  short  silence  the  Tai-kun  began  to  jerk  his 
head  backward  over  his  left  shoulder,  at  the  same  time 
stamping  with  his  right  foot.  This  was  repeated  three 
or  four  times.  After  this,  he  spoke  audibly  and  in  a 
pleasant  and  firm  voice  what  was  interpreted  as  follows : 

"Pleased  with  the  letter  sent  with  the  Ambassador 
from  a  far-distant  country,  and  likewise  pleased  with  his 
discourse.    Intercourse  shall  be  continued  forever." 

Mr.  Heusken,  who  had  been  standing  at  the  door  of 
the  audience  chamber,  now  advanced  with  the  Presi- 
dent's letter,  bowing  three  times.  As  he  approached, 
the  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs  rose  to  his  feet  and  stood 

441 


JAPAN 

by  me.  I  removed  the  silk  cover  over  the  box,  opened 
it,  and  also  raised  the  cover  of  the  letter  so  that  the  Min- 
ister could  see  the  writing.  I  then  closed  the  box,  re- 
placed the  silk,  covering  (made  of  red  and  white  stripes, 
six  and  seven),  and  handed  the  same  to  the  Minister, 
who  received  it  with  both  hands,  and  placed  it  on  a 
handsome  lacquered  stand  which  was  placed  a  little 
above  him.  He  then  lay  down  again,  and  I  turned  to- 
wards the  Tai-kun,  who  gave  me  to  understand  my 
audience  was  at  an  end  by  making  me  a  courteous  bow. 
I  bowed,  retreated  backward,  halted,  bowed  again  and 
for  the  last  time. 

So  ended  my  audience,  when  I  was  reconducted  to  my 
original  room,  and  served  with  more  tea  gruel.  A  good 
deal  of  negotiation  had  been  used  by  the  Japanese  to 
get  me  to  eat  a  dinner  at  the  palace,  alone,  or  with  Mr. 
Heusken  only.  This  I  decHned  doing.  I  offered  to  par- 
take of  it,  provided  one  of  the  royal  family  or  the  Prime 
Minister  would  eat  with  me.  I  was  told  that  their  cus- 
toms forbade  either  from  doing  so.  I  repUed  that  the 
customs  of  my  country  forbade  any  one  to  eat  in  a 
house  where  the  host,  or  his  representative,  did  not  sit 
down  to  table  with  him.  At  last  the  matter  was  arranged 
by  ordering  the  dinner  to  be  sent  to  my  lodgings. 


THE  SCHOOLS  OF  OLD  JAPAN 

BY  FRANCIS  OTTIWELL  ADAMS,  SECRETARY  OF  THE 
LEGATION  AT  YEDO 

The  Japanese  lad  began  his  education  at  the  age  of  six 
or  seven  years.  There  were  three  grades  of  schools,  Sho, 
Chiu,  and  Dai  Gakko  [Small,  Middle,  and  Great  School]. 
In  many  of  the  daimios'  capitals  the  latter  was  wanting; 
the  one  in  Yedo  might  with  some  show  of  propriety  be 
called  a  university. 

The  Japanese  pupil  took  his  first  steps  in  learning  by 
mastering  the  Mragana  and  katakana  [alphabet  or  sylla- 
bary]. He  must  know  how  to  read  and  write  both  styles 
before  he  began  the  study  of  Chinese  characters.  The 
average  boy  spent  five  years  in  the  Sho,  or  Primary 
School.  During  the  first  year  he  began  the  study  of  the 
Chinese  classics.  The  method  of  learning  these  books 
was  to  go  through  each  one,  studying  the  sound  only 
of  each  character.  A  Japanese  lad  must  therefore  know 
the  sound  of  every  character  in  the  book  before  he  had 
an  idea  of  what  a  single  one  of  them  meant.  This  is  as 
if  an  English  boy  attacking  Homer  or  the  Hebrew  Bible 
were  to  learn  to  read  the  book  through,  pronouncing 
every  word  carefully,  but  knowing  nothing  of  its  mean- 
ing or  the  construction  of  the  language.  But  in  the  case 
of  the  Japanese  lad,  he  must  learn  nearly  two  thousand 
characters  and  several  hundred  sounds,  before  receiving 
an  explanation  of  their  meaning.  The  books  mastered 
as  to  sense  and  meaning  during  the  years  spent  in  the 
Primary  School  were  the  ^' Small  Learning,"  the  "Moral 

443 


JAPAN 

Duties  of  Man,"  Confucius's  ''Four  Books  of  Morals," 
the  "Three  Character  Book  of  Morals,"  the  "Book  of 
Fihal  Duties,"  the  "Book  of  Great  Lineage,"  "Ancestry 
of  the  Mikado,"  and  the  "Entrance  to  Knowledge," 
"Duties  of  Cleanliness,  Obedience,"  etc. 

The  scholar's  work  during  the  first  year  was  with  kana 
and  the  sound  of  the  Chinese  characters.  In  the  second 
year  the  writing  of  Chinese  characters  was  begun,  and 
continued  thenceforward  as  a  never-ending  part  of  his 
education.  He  learned  to  write  the  names  of  all  the  em- 
perors, of  all  the  large  cities,  provinces,  and  the  geo- 
graphical divisions  of  Japan,  his  own  name  and  that  of 
his  family,  the  names  of  streets,  familiar  objects,  the 
characters  for  points  of  the  compass;  the  seasons,  names 
of  countries,  of  years,  chronological  era,  etc.,  and  to  read 
and  copy  proclamations  and  edicts  on  the  notice-boards. 

During  the  third  year,  the  Japanese  lad  learned  the 
four  rudimental  rules  of  arithmetic  and  the  use  of  the 
abacus,  a  point  at  which  the  mathematical  education 
of  the  vast  majority  of  Japanese  ended.  He  also  read 
the  "Book  of  Heroes"  —  a  book  containing  biographies 
of  model  men  and  women,  moral  anecdotes,  accounts 
of  virtuous  and  noble  actions,  etc.  The  study  of  the 
Chinese  classics  was  continued.  Much  time  was  spent 
in  writing  Chinese  characters,  and  several  hours  a  week 
were  given  to  the  practical  study  of  etiquette,  how  to  walk, 
to  bow,  to  visit,  to  talk,  etc.  Examinations  were  held  twice 
a  year,  at  which  the  daimio  or  high  officials  were  present 
and  dehvered  prizes  to  the  most  diligent  and  successful, 
who  were  then  graduated  into  the  Chiu,  or  Middle  School. 

Hitherto  the  education  was  moral  and  intellectual. 
In  the  Middle  School  the  physical  education  began. 

444 


THE   SCHOOLS   OF  OLD   JAPAN 

The  course  comprised  three  years,  during  which  daily 
lessons  in  either  fencing,  wrestling,  or  spear  exercise,  and 
a  monthly  practice  on  horseback  under  expert  instruc- 
tors, were  parts  of  the  curriculum.  It  would  be  tedious 
to  detail  all  the  studies  of  the  Middle  School,  but  in 
substance  they  were  simply  an  advance  on  the  Hne  of 
studies  of  the  Small  School.  The  lads  read  the  "History 
of  China,"  the  "Book  of  Rhetoric,"  a  brief  "History  of 
Japan,"  and  a  large  book  of  Japanese  strategy,  contain- 
ing remarkable  feats  in  war,  narratives  of  heroes,  etc. 
They  learned  the  various  styles  of  Chinese  learning,  how 
to  write  official  and  private  letters,  both  original  and 
after  models.  In  arithmetic  they  learned  to  count  large 
numerical  quantities,  and  to  solve  problems  by  the  four 
fundamental  rules.  They  studied  the  topography  of 
Japan  with  considerable  thoroughness,  and  read  an 
epitome  of  universal  geography. 

In  the  Dai,  or  High  School,  the  students  spent  more 
time  in  the  gynmasium  and  on  the  riding-course,  becom- 
ing proficient  in  riding,  wrestling,  archery,  fencing,  long 
and  short  spear  exercise,  and  in  the  various  arts  by 
which  an  unarmed  man  may  defend  his  life  and  injure 
his  enemy.  Their  reading  now  took  a  higher  range, 
embracing  well-known  historical  classics.  In  arithme- 
tic, vulgar  and  decimal  fractions,  the  rule  of  three,  invo- 
lution, evolution,  and  progression  were  taught.  A  little 
algebra  was  introduced  into  some  of  the  schools,  but 
only  a  small  minority  of  students  reached  the  maximum 
of  mathematical  studies  presented  above. 

In  the  Sei  Do,  or  old  Chinese  college  in  Yedo,  the 
course  of  literary  study  ranged  somewhat  higher,  and 
original  composition  in  Chinese  was  made  a  specialty. 

445 


JAPAN 

The  usual  time  allotted  for  study  in  all  the  schools 
was  six  hours  a  day:  from  6  to  12  a.m.  in  summer,  from 

8  A.M.  to  2  P.M.  in  the  spring  and  autumn,  and  from 

9  A.M.  to  3  P.M.  in  winter.  No  long  vacation  was  given 
in  summer,  but  the  regular  hoHdays  throughout  the 
year  were  numerous,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  year 
the  schools  were  closed  for  several  weeks. 

In  general  the  disciplinary  rules  of  the  schools  were 
strictly  observed.  Each  scholar  must  wear  the  hakama, 
or  trousers  formerly  distinguishing  the  samurai.  If  late, 
he  could  not  enter  the  school  for  that  day.  When  once 
in,  he  was  not  allowed  to  leave  till  school  was  out.  The 
rewards  at  the  end  of  the  year  were  pieces  of  silk,  ink- 
stones,  brush-pens,  paper,  silver  coin;  and  the  highest, 
at  the  Chinese  college  in  Yedo,  was  a  robe  on  which  the 
crest  of  the  shogun  was  embroidered,  with  the  privilege 
of  always  wearing  the  garment  in  pubHc.  The  most 
common  punishments  were  confinement  to  the  room  or 
house,  whipping  on  the  front  of  the  leg  or  on  the  back, 
walking  up  and  down  for  several  hours  with  one  of  the 
small  writing-tables  on  the  head,  having  the  moxa 
burned  on  the  forefinger,  etc.  Of  the  teachers,  some 
taught  only  the  sound  of  the  characters,  others  the  mean- 
ing of  the  separate  characters,  others  were  expounders 
or  exegetes.  Writing,  arithmetic,  and  each  athletic 
exercise  were  taught  by  special  instructors.  Few  of  the 
teachers  made  teaching  their  permanent  work,  and  of 
the  scholars,  probably  not  more  than  a  third  completed 
the  full  course  of  studies.  It  was  absolutely  necessary, 
however,  that  a  samurai  should  have  been  at  least 
through  the  Small  School.  Without  this  rudimentary 
education  he  could  not  become  a  householder. 


HOW  TO  LEARN  JAPANESE 

BY  REV.  M.  L.  GORDON,  M.D. 

The  young  missionary  starts  to  his  field  filled  with 
enthusiasm,  and  elated  by  the  thought  of  preaching 
Christ's  salvation  to  those  who  have  never  heard  the 
good  news  of  God.  He  may  not  actually  entertain  the 
idea,  so  commonly  heard  at  home,  that  his  first  work  on 
landing  will  be  to  repeat  the  "old,  old  story"  to  the  as- 
tonished but  receptive  natives  as  they  kneel  in  homage 
at  his  feet.  He  may  think  of  his  lack  of  knowledge  of 
the  language  as  an  obstacle  to  immediate  preaching. 
But  he  has  doubtless  been  encouraged  to  regard  this 
obstacle  as  of  a  very  temporary  character,  and  he  in- 
dulges the  pleasing  hope  that  a  few  weeks,  or  a  few 
months  at  the  farthest,  will  find  him  "speaking  like  a 
native." 

When  he  reaches  his  destination,  however,  his  com- 
placency receives  a  terrible  shock.  Geographically 
speaking,  he  is  now  near  the  people  whom  he  hopes  to 
teach;  but  as  far  as  actual  teaching  is  concerned,  a 
broader  ocean  than  the  Pacific  still  rolls  between  him 
and  them.  As  he  listens  to  the  shouts  of  the  boatmen 
who  crowd  around  his  ship,  or  the  chattering  of  the 
jinrikisha  men  while  they  draw  lots  for  the  privilege 
of  carrying  him  to  his  hotel,  he  understands,  as  never 
before,  why  the  Russians  call  foreigners  "the  dumb," 
"the  speechless,"  and  say  even  of  modern  English  trav- 
elers, "Look  at  these  people!  they  make  a  noise  but 

447 


JAPAN 

cannot  speak";  and  he  is  ready,  without  further  inves- 
tigation, to  call  the  Japanese  "barbarians,"  in  the  sense 
that  the  Greeks  used  the  word  barbaros,  that  is,  as  desig- 
nating all  who  spoke  a  language  uninteUigible  to  them- 
selves. The  language,  the  language,  —  what  an  Alpine 
barrier  to  all  communication  with  the  people  he  would 
teach ! 

There  are,  it  is  true,  a  few  —  a  gradually  increasing 
number  —  who  understand  English,  and,  eager  for  im- 
mediate results,  he  may  confine  himself  to  these;  or  he 
may  use  one  of  these  EngHsh-speaking  Japanese  as  an 
"interpreter"  in  preaching  to  others.  With  the  Ameri- 
can theological  student  who  felt  that  he  had  "a  special 
call  to  labor  among  educated  young  ladies"  as  a  prece- 
dent, why  should  he  not  choose  some  such  restricted 
work?  Or  he  may  imitate  the  example  of  Scotland's  most 
famous  missionary  to  the  Chinese,  who,  even  before  he 
reached  his  destination,  attempted  to  teach  the  doctrine 
of  the  atonement  to  the  boatmen  who  came  alongside  the 
ship  by  going  through  the  motions  of  washing  a  garment. 
But,  if  he  be  too  wise  to  depend  upon  such  imperfect 
methods,  —  unless  he  has  gone  there  for  some  special 
work,  such  as  the  teaching  of  EngUsh  —  determine  that 
even  the  Alps  shall  not  keep  him  out  of  Italy;  and  so, 
procuring  the  best  books  on  the  subject  and  engaging 
the  best  available  living  teacher,  he  will  tackle  the  lan- 
guage in  real  earnest. 

And  this  will  seem  but  the  beginning  of  his  troubles. 
If  he  secure  a  teacher  who  understands  Enghsh,  he  will 
find  himself  talking  in  English  about  the  Japanese  lan- 
guage; learning  something  of  the  science  of  the  language, 
perhaps,  but  making  little  or  no  progress  in  the  art  of 

448 


HOW   TO   LEARN   JAPANESE 

speaking  it.  Most  probably  he  will  be  teaching  ten 
times  as  much  English  to  his  "teacher"  as  he  learns 
Japanese  from  him.  On  the  other  hand,  if  he  employ  a 
teacher  who  knows  no  English,  the  result  will  be  two 
persons  together  in  a  room  with  no  knowledge  of  each 
other's  language,  and  no  means  of  communication  except 
signs  and  a  Japanese-EngHsh  dictionary,  striving  to  see 
which  can  the  sooner  tire  out  and  disgust  the  other. 

Our  friend  begins  in  a  concrete  way  by  inquiring  the 
names  of  the  most  familiar  things  about  the  house,  using 
the  one  sentence  given  him  by  an  older  missionary, 
Kore  wa  nani  to  moshimasu  ka  ("What  is  this?")  In 
answer  to  this  question  he  is  told  that  the  rice  on  the 
table  is  called  meshi.  (All  vowels,  it  should  be  remarked, 
have  the  Continental  pronunciation.)  Rejoicing  in  this 
knowledge,  he  begins  making  sentences:  "I  eat  meshi  J' 
"The  little  child  likes  meshi."  "No,"  says  his  mentor; 
"in  speaking  of  a  child's  rice,  it  is  better  to  use  the  word 
mama;  the  child  likes  mama."  Undiscouraged,  the  stu- 
dent tries  again:  "Do  you  eat  meshi?"  when  his  teacher 
stops  him,  and  tells  him  that  it  is  polite,  in  speaking  to 
another  of  his  having  or  eating  rice,  to  call  it  gozen. 
Having  taken  this  in,  he  goes  on  with  his  sentence-build- 
ing: "The  merchant  sells  gozen"  when  the  teacher  again 
calls  a  halt,  and  tells  him  that  meshi  and  gozen  are  used 
for  cooked  rice  only,  and  that  for  unboiled  rice  kome  is 
the  proper  word.  Feeling  that  he  is  now  getting  into 
the  secrets  of  the  language,  he  says,  "iCowe  grows  in  the 
fields,"  when  he  is  again  stopped  with  the  information 
that  growing  rice  is  called  ine! 

He  next  picks  up  a  carpenter's  rule,  and  is  told  that 
the  foot  measure  is  called  shaku.  He  is  glad  to  find  that 

449 


JAPAN 

it  is  just  about  twelve  inches  in  length,  but  is  nonplussed 
when  he  learns  that  the  tailor's  shaku  measures  fifteen 
inches.  His  perplexity  increases  on  finding  that  when  he 
sends  for  a  kin  (pound)  of  beef  he  gets  five  sixths  of  an 
avoirdupois  pound ;  if  he  send  for  a  kin  of  flour,  he  gets 
one  and  one  third  pounds;  while,  if  he  purchase  a  kin 
of  sugar,  it  is  within  a  small  fraction  of  two  pounds.  In 
starting  on  a  journey  he  is  told  that  one  ri  is  equal  to 
two  and  one  half  English  miles ;  but  if  in  passing  through 
certain  districts,  he  be  puzzled  because  of  the  unexpect- 
edly long  distances,  he  may  be  told  that  there  it  takes 
three  and  a  half  miles  to  make  a  ri.  On  the  other  hand,  in 
ascending  Fuji  and  other  mountains,  the  traveler  often 
finds  that  the  real  distance  is  only  about  one  half  of 
that  marked  on  the  milestones,  because,  as  he  is  gravely 
told,  the  ascent  requires  a  double  amount  of  exertion. 
He  finds  all  of  the  provinces  and  some  cities  with  two 
names  each,  and  the  coimtry  now  divided  into  prefec- 
tures, with  still  different  names;  while,  till  very  recently, 
the  main  island  of  Japan  had  no  name  whatever! 

Filled  with  dismay  and  despair  at  the  confusion  into 
which  his  teacher  has  introduced  him,  he  turns  for  relief 
to  the  books  on  the  language  prepared  by  European 
scholars,  and  reads  for  his  encouragement,  from  the 
latest  authority  upon  the  subject,  such  sentences  as 
these:  "Japanese  nouns  have  no  gender  or  number; 
Japanese  adjectives,  no  degrees  of  comparison;  Japan- 
ese verbs  no  persons."  "Strictly  speaking,  there  are 
but  two  parts  of  speech."  "The  prepositions  are  post- 
positions." "Most  sentences  are  subjectless;  it  is  not 
that  the  subjects  are  dropped,  but  still  'understood, '  as 
in  other  languages;  they  do  not  exist  in  the  mind  of  the 

450 


HOW  TO   LEARN   JAPANESE 

speaker."  "The  Japanese  language  abhors  pronouns." 
"The  verb  is  often  omitted."  "The  normal  Japanese 
sentence  is  a  paragraph."  The  order  of  the  words  is 
often  the  exact  reverse  of  that  in  EngHsh;  thus,  "To 
give  rice  to  a  beggar"  would  in  Japanese  be  Kojiki  ni 
meshi  wo  yaru,  "Beggar  to  rice  give."  Still  further,  "The 
Japanese  do  not  write  as  they  speak,  but  use  an  anti- 
quated and  partly  artificial  dialect  v;^henever  they  put 
pen  to  paper." 


) 


THE  ATTACK  UPON  PORT  ARTHUR 

BY  LIEUTENANT  TADAYOSHI  SAKURAI,  OF  THE  IMPERIAL 
JAPANESE  ARMY 

As  soon  as  we  were  gathered  together  the  colonel  rose 
and  gave  us  a  final  word  of  exhortation,  saying:  "This 
battle  is  our  great  chance  of  serving  our  country.  To- 
night we  must  strike  at  the  vitals  of  Port  Arthur.  Our 
brave  assaulting  column  must  be  not  simply  a  forlorn- 
hope  ('resolved-to-die'),but  a  'sure-death'  detachment. 
I  as  your  father  am  more  grateful  than  I  can  express  for 
your  gallant  fighting.  Do  your  best,  all  of  you." 

Yes,  we  were  all  ready  for  death  when  leaving  Japan. 
Men  going  to  battle  of  course  cannot  expect  to  come 
back  alive.  But  in  this  particular  battle  to  be  ready  for 
death  was  not  enough ;  what  was  required  of  us  was  a 
determination  not  to  fail  to  die.  Indeed,  we  were 
"sure-death"  men,  and  this  new  appellation  gave  us  a 
great  stimulus.  Also  a  telegram  that  had  come  from  the 
Minister  of  War  in  Tokyo,  was  read  by  the  aide-de- 
camp, which  said,  "I  pray  for  your  success."  This 
increased  the  exaltation  of  our  spirits. 

Let  me  now  recount  the  sublimity  and  horror  of  this 
general  assault.  I  was  a  mere  lieutenant  and  every- 
thing passed  through  my  mind  as  in  a  dream,  so  my 
story  must  be  something  like  picking  out  things  from 
the  dark.  I  can't  give  you  any  systematic  account,  but 
must  limit  myself  to  fragmentary  recollections.  If  this 
story  sounds  like  a  vainglorious  account  of  my  own 

452 


THE   ATTACK   UPON  PORT  ARTHUR 

achievements,  it  is  not  because  I  am  conscious  of  my 
merit  when  I  have  so  little  to  boast  of,  but  because  the 
things  concerning  me  and  near  me  are  what  I  can  tell 
you  with  authority.  If  this  partial  account  prove  a  clue 
from  which  the  whole  story  of  this  terrible  assault  may 
be  inferred,  my  work  will  not  have  been  in  vain. 

The  men  of  the  *' sure-death"  detachment  rose  to 
their  part.  Fearlessly  they  stepped  forward  to  the  place 
of  death.  They  went  over  Panlung-shan  and  made  their 
way  through  the  piled-up  bodies  of  the  dead,  groups  of 
five  or  six  soldiers  reaching  the  barricaded  slope  one 
after  another. 

I  said  to  the  colonel,  "Good-bye,  then!" 

With  this  farewell  I  started,  and  my  first  step  was  on 
the  head  of  a  corpse.  Our  objective  points  were  the 
Northern  Fortress  and  Wang-tai  Hill. 

There  was  a  fight  with  bombs  at  the  enemy's  skir- 
mish-trenches. The  bombs  sent  from  our  side  exploded 
finely,  and  the  place  became  at  once  a  conflagration, 
boards  were  flung  about,  sand-bags  burst,  heads  flew 
around,  legs  were  torn  off.  The  flames  mingled  with  the 
smoke,  lighted  up  our  faces  weirdly,  with  a  red  glare, 
and  all  at  once  the  battle-line  became  confused.  Then 
the  enemy,  thinking  it  hopeless,  left  the  place  and 
began  to  flee,  "Forward!  forw^ard!  Now  is  the  time  to 
go  forward!  Forward!  Pursue!  Capture  it  with  one 
bound!"  And,  proud  of  our  victory,  we  went  forward 
courageously. 

Captain  Kawakami,  raising  his  sword,  cried,  "For- 
ward!" and  then  I,  standing  close  by  liim,  cried, 
"Sakurai's  company,  fon\'ard!" 

Thus  shouting  I  left  the  captain's  side,  and,  in  order 

453 


JAPAN 

to  see  the  road  we  were  to  follow,  went  behind  the 
rampart.  What  is  that  black  object  which  obstructs  our 
view?  It  is  the  ramparts  of  the  Northern  Fortress. 
Looking  back,  I  did  not  see  a  soldier.  Alack,  had  the 
line  been  cut?  In  trepidation,  keeping  my  body  to  the 
left  for  safety,  I  called  the  Twelfth  Company. 

"Lieutenant  Sakurai!"  a  voice  called  out  repeatedly 
in  answer.  Returning  in  the  direction  of  the  sound,  I 
found  Corporal  Ito  weeping  loudly. 

"What  are  you  cr5dng  for?  What  has  happened?" 

The  corporal,  weeping  bitterly,  gripped  my  arm 
tightly. 

"Lieutenant  Sakurai,  you  have  become  an  important 
person." 

"What  is  there  to  weep  about?  I  say,  what  is  the 
matter?" 

He  whispered  in  my  ear,  "Our  captain  is  dead." 

Hearing  this,  I  too  wept.  Was  it  not  only  a  moment 
ago  that  he  had  given  the  order  "Forward"?  Was  it 
not  even  now  that  I  had  separated  from  him?  And  yet 
our  captain  was  one  of  the  dead.  In  one  moment  our 
tender,  pitying  Captain  Kawakami  and  I  had  become 
beings  of  two  separate  worlds.  Was  it  a  dream  or  a 
reality,  I  wondered? 

Corporal  Ito  pointed  out  the  captain's  body,  which 
had  fallen  inside  the  rampart  only  a  few  rods  away. 
I  hastened  thither  and  raised  him  in  my  arms. 

"Captain!"  I  could  not  say  a  word  more. 

But  as  matters  could  not  remain  thus,  I  took  the 
secret  map  which  the  captain  had,  and,  rising  up  boldly, 
called  out,  "From  henceforward  I  command  the 
Twelfth  Company."   And  I  ordered  that  some  one  of 

454 


THE  ATTACK  UPON  PORT  ARTHUR 

the  wounded  should  carry  back  the  captain's  corpse. 
A  wounded  soldier  was  just  about  to  raise  it  up  when  he 
was  struck  on  a  vital  spot  and  died  leaning  on  the  cap- 
tain. One  after  another  of  the  soldiers  who  took  his 
place  was  struck  and  fell. 

I  called  Sub-Lieutenant  Ninomiya  and  asked  him  if 
the  sections  were  together. 

He  answered  in  the  afl5rmative.  I  ordered  Corporal 
Ito  not  to  let  the  line  be  cut,  and  told  him  that  I  would 
be  in  the  center  of  the  skirmishers.  In  the  darkness  of 
the  night  we  could  not  distinguish  the  features  of  the 
country,  nor  in  which  direction  we  were  to  march. 
Standing  up  abruptly  against  the  dark  sky  were  the 
Northern  Fortress  and  Wang-tai  Hill.  In  front  of  us 
lay  a  natural  stronghold,  and  we  were  in  a  caldron- 
shaped  hollow.   But  still  we  marched  on  side  by  side. 

"The  Twelfth  Company  forward!" 

I  turned  to  the  right  and  went  forward  as  in  a  dream. 
I  remember  nothing  clearly  of  the  time. 

"Keep  the  line  together!" 

This  was  my  one  command.  Presently  I  ceased  to 
hear  the  voice  of  Corporal  Ito,  who  had  been  at  my 
right  hand.  The  bayonets  gleaming  in  the  darkness 
became  fewer.  The  black  masses  of  soldiers  who  had 
pushed  their  way  on  now  became  a  handful.  All  at 
once,  as  if  struck  by  a  club,  I  fell  down  sprawling  on  the 
ground.  I  was  wounded,  struck  in  my  right  hand.  The 
splendid  magnesium  light  of  the  enemy  flashed  out, 
showing  the  piled-up  bodies  of  the  dead,  and  I  raised 
my  wounded  hand  and  looked  at  it.  It  was  broken  at 
the  wrist;  the  hand  hung  down  and  was  bleeding  pro- 
fusely. I  took  out  the  already  loosened  bundle  of  band- 

455 


JAPAN 

ages,^  tied  up  my  wound  with  the  triangular  piece,  and 
then  wrapping  a  handkerchief  over  it,  I  slung  it  from 
my  neck  with  the  sunrise  flag,  which  I  had  sworn  to 
plant  on  the  enemy's  fortress. 

Looking  up,  I  saw  that  only  a  valley  lay  between  me 
and  Wang-tai  Hill,  which  almost  touched  the  sky.  I 
wished  to  drink  and  sought  at  my  waist,  but  the  canteen 
was  gone;  its  leather  strap  alone  was  entangled  in  my 
feet.  The  voices  of  the  soldiers  were  lessening  one  by 
one.  In  contrast,  the  glare  of  the  rockets  of  the  hated 
enemy  and  the  frightful  noise  of  the  cannonading  in- 
creased. I  slowly  rubbed  my  legs,  and,  seeing  that  they 
were  unhurt,  I  again  rose.  Throwing  aside  the  sheath 
of  my  sword,  I  carried  the  bare  blade  in  my  left  hand  as 
a  staff,  went  down  the  slope  as  in  a  dream,  and  climbed 
Wang-tai  Hill. 

The  long  and  enormously  heavy  guns  were  towering 
before  me,  and  how  few  of  my  men  were  left  alive  now ! 
I  shouted  and  told  the  sur\dvors  to  follow  me,  but  few 
answered  my  call.  When  I  thought  that  the  other 
detachments  must  also  have  been  reduced  to  a  similar 
condition,  my  heart  began  to  fail  me.  No  reinforcement 
was  to  be  hoped  for,  so  I  ordered  a  soldier  to  climb  the 
rampart  and  plant  the  sim  flag  overhead,  but  alas!  he 
was  shot  and  killed,  without  even  a  soimd  or  cry. 

All  of  a  sudden  a  stupendous  sound  as  from  another 
world  rose  around  about  me. 

"  Counter-assault ! " 

A  detachment  of  the  enemy  appeared  on  the  rampart, 
looking  like  a  dark  wooden  barricade.  They  surrounded 

1  The  "  first  aid  "  bandages,  prepared  by  the  Red  Cross  Society, 
issued  to  every  soldier  as  part  of  his  equipment. 


THE  ATTACK  UPON  PORT  ARTHUR 

us  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  and  raised  a  cry  of  triumph. 
Our  disadvantageous  position  would  not  allow  us  to  of- 
fer any  resistance,  and  our  party  was  too  small  to  fight 
them.  We  had  to  fall  back  down  the  steep  hill.  Looking 
back,  I  saw  the  Russians  shooting  at  us  as  they  pursued. 
When  we  reached  the  earthworks  before  mentioned, 
we  made  a  stand  and  faced  the  enemy.  Great  confusion 
and  infernal  butchery  followed.  Bayonets  clashed 
against  bayonets;  the  enemy  brought  out  machine-guns 
and  poured  shot  upon  us  pell-mell ;  the  men  on  both  sides 
fell  like  grass.  But  I  cannot  give  you  a  detailed  account 
of  the  scene,  because  I  was  then  in  a  dazed  condition.  I 
only  remember  that  I  was  brandishing  my  sword  in  fury. 
I  also  felt  myself  occasionally  cutting  down  the  enemy. 
I  remember  a  confused  fight  of  white  blade  against  white 
blade,  the  rain  and  hail  of  shell,  a  desperate  fight  here 
and  a  confused  scuffie  there.  At  last  I  grew  so  hoarse  that 
I  could  not  shout  any  more.  Suddenly  my  sword  broke 
with  a  clash,  my  left  arm  was  pierced.  I  fell,  and  before 
I  could  rise  a  shell  came  and  shattered  my  right  leg. 
I  gathered  all  my  strength  and  tried  to  stand  up,  but  I 
felt  as  if  I  were  crumbUng  and  fell  to  the  ground  per- 
fectly powerless.  A  soldier  who  saw  me  fall  cried, 
"Lieutenant  Sakurai,  let  us  die  together." 

I  embraced  him  with  my  left  arm  and,  gnashing  my 
teeth  with  regret  and  sorrow,  I  could  only  watch  the 
hand-to-hand  fight  going  on  about  me.  My  mind  worked 
like  that  of  a  madman,  but  my  body  would  not  move  an 
inch. 


V 
LITTLE   STORIES   OF   JAPAN 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

The  art  and  literature  of  Japan  date  from  about  the  fifth 
centiiry  a.d.  Books  on  history,  philosophy,  and  kindred 
subjects  were  written  in  the  Chinese  language;  poetry, 
plays,  and  fiction  in  Japanese. 

Daily  newspapers  were  unknown  in  Japan  until  1871.  At 
first  they  suffered  much  inconvenience  from  the  govern- 
ment's habit  of  imprisoning  editors  whose  views  did  not 
meet  with  its  approval,  but  this  difl&culty  was  finally  over- 
come by  hiring  dummy  editors  whose  sole  duties  were  to  go 
to  jail. 

In  the  realm  of  decorative  art  the  Japanese  are  unsur- 
passed. Unlike  the  artists  of  the  Western  world,  the  Japan- 
ese do  not  attempt  to  copy  the  object  painted,  but  to  set 
down  their  impression  of  it. 


JAPANESE  POLITENESS 

BY  MORTIMER  MENPES 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  illustrations  of  the  native 
politeness  that  I  have  ever  witnessed  was  in  Tokio.  A 
man  pulling  along  a  cart  loaded  high  up  with  boughs  of 
trees  chanced  to  catch  the  roof  of  a  coohe's  house  in 
one  of  his  pieces  of  timber,  tearing  away  a  large  portion 
of  it  (for  a  roof  is  a  very  slim  affair  in  Japan) .  The  owner 
of  the  house  rushed  out  thoroughly  upset  and  began  to 
expostulate,  and  to  explain  how  very  distressing  it  was 
to  have  one's  roof  torn  off  in  this  manner.  No  doubt  if 
he  had  been  a  Britisher  he  would  have  used  quaint  lan- 
guage: but  there  are  no  "swear  words"  in  the  Japanese 
language  —  they  are  too  polite  a  people.  The  abused 
one  stood  calmly,  with  arms  folded,  listening  to  the 
harangue,  and  saying  nothing.  Only,  when  the  enraged 
man  had  finished,  he  pointed  to  the  towel  which  in  his 
haste  the  coolie  had  forgotten  to  take  off  his  head.  At 
once  the  coolie  realized  the  enormity  of  his  offense. 
Both  hands  flew  to  the  towel,  and  tore  it  off  in  confusion, 
the  coolie  bowing  to  the  ground  and  offering  humble 
apologies  for  having  presumed  to  appear  without  uncov- 
ering his  head.  For  in  Japan  one  must  always  uncover, 
whether  to  a  sweep  or  to  a  mikado.  The  two  parted  the 
best  of  friends.  One  had  been  impolite  enough  to  forget 
to  uncover;  the  other  had  torn  away  a  roof.  The  rude- 
ness of  the  one  balanced  the  injury  of  the  other.  Thus 
are  offenses  weighed  in  Japan. 


HOW  THE  SHOPKEEPER  LOST  HIS  QUEUE 

BY  LAFCADIO  HEARN 

An  old  shopkeeper  who  sells  us  lacquer  ware  had  a  queue, 
—  like  not  a  few  other  old  shopkeepers  in  Kumamoto. 
He  professed  to  detest  all  Western  manners,  dress,  ideas ; 
and  praised  the  tempora  antiqua  without  stint.  Whereby 
he  offended  young  Japan,  and  his  business  diminished. 
It  continued  to  diminish.  His  young  wife  lamented,  and 
begged  him  to  cut  off  his  queue.  He  replied  that  he 
would  suffer  any  torment  rather  than  that.  Business 
became  slacker.  Landlord  came  round  for  rent.  All 
three  were  samurai.  Husband  was  out.  Landlord  said, 
"If  your  husband  would  cut  off  his  queue,  he  might  be 
able  to  pay  his  rent!"  "That  is  just  what  I  tell  him," 
said  she,  "but  he  won't  Hsten  to  me."  "Let  me  talk 
to  him!"  said  the  landlord.  Queue  comes  in,  out  of 
breath,  and  salutes  landlord.  Landlord  frowns  and 
asks  for  rent.  Usual  apologies.  * '  Then  you  get  out  of  my 
house,"  says  the  landlord,  —  "get  out  at  once."  Queue 
cannot  understand  old  friend's  sudden  harshness,  be- 
comes humble  in  vain,  —  makes  offer  of  his  stock  in 
payment.  Landlord  says,  "Hm!  what?"  "Anything 
you  like  in  the  shop."  "Hm,  word  of  honor?"  "Yes." 
Landlord  joyfully  to  wife.  "Bring  me  a  scissors,  quick ! " 
Scissors  is  brought.  Dismay  and  protests  checked  by 
the  terrible  word,  "Yakusoku."  Off  goes  the  queue. 
Owner  mourns.  Landlord  laughs,  and  says,  "Old 
friend,  I  make  you  now  a  present  of  the  three  months' 
rent;  you  owe  me  nothing."  Business  begins  to  improve. 


FUJI-YAMA 


FUJI-YAMA 

The  sacred  mountain  of  Japan  is  thus  described  by  Mrs. 
Hugh  Fraser:  — 

"There  is  one  more  name  besides  those  which  I  have 
enumerated,  and  to  my  mind  it  is  the  most  poetic  of  all  the 
titles  of  Fuji  San:  the  Buddhists  call  it  the  Peak  of  the 
White  Lotus.  To  them  the  snow-crowned  mountain,  rising 
in  unsullied  purity  from  the  low  hills  around  it,  was  the 
symbol  of  the  white  lotus,  whose  foot  grows  green  under  its 
wide  leaves  in  the  stagnant  water,  while  its  cup  of  breathless 
white  holds  up  its  golden  heart,  its  jewel,  to  the  sky;  and  the 
wonderful  symmetry  of  the  mountain,  with  its  eight-sided 
crater,  reminded  them  of  the  eight-petaled  lotus  which 
forms  the  seat  of  the  glorified  Buddha.  In  the  more  learned 
odes,  the  mountain  is  called  Fuyo  Ho,  the  Lotus  Peak;  and 
the  Buddhists  say  that  the  great  teacher,  Buddha  himself, 
gave  it  this  perfect  shape,  the  symbol  of  Nirvana's  perfect 
peace. 

"So  the  queen  of  mountains  hangs  between  the  stars  of 
heaven  and  the  mists  of  earth,  dear  to  every  heart  that  can 
be  still  and  understand.  As  I  said  once  before,  Fuji  domi- 
nates life  here  by  its  silent  beauty;  sorrow  is  hushed,  longing 
quieted,  strife  forgotten  in  its  presence,  and  broad  rivers  of 
peace  seem  to  flow  down  from  that  changeless  home  of  peace, 
the  Peak  of  the  White  Lotus." 


THE  CHERRY  TREE  OF  THE  SIXTEENTH 
DAY 

BY   LAFCADIO  HEARN 

In  Wakegori,  a  district  of  the  Province  of  lyo,  there  is 
a  very  ancient  and  famous  cherry  tree,  called  Jiu-roku- 
zakura,  or  "The  Cherry  Tree  of  the  Sixteenth  Day," 
because  it  blooms  every  year  upon  the  sixteenth  day  of 
the  first  month  (by  the  old  lunar  calendar),  —  and  only 
upon  that  day.  Thus  the  time  of  its  flowering  is  the 
Period  of  Great  Cold,  —  though  the  natural  habit  of  a 
cherry  tree  is  to  wait  for  the  spring  season  before  ven- 
turing to  blossom.  But  the  Jiu-roku-zakura  blossoms 
with  a  life  that  is  not  —  or,  at  least,  was  not  originally 
—  its  own.  There  is  the  ghost  of  a  man  in  that  tree. 

He  was  a  samurai  of  lyo ;  and  the  tree  grew  in  his  gar- 
den; and  it  used  to  flower  at  the  usual  time,  —  that  is 
to  say,  about  the  end  of  March  or  the  beginning  of  April. 
He  had  played  under  that  tree  when  he  was  a  child ;  and 
his  parents  and  grandparents  and  ancestors  had  hung  to 
its  blossoming  branches,  season  after  season,  for  more 
than  a  hundred  years,  bright  strips  of  colored  paper 
inscribed  with  poems  of  praise.  He  himself  became  very 
old,  —  outliving  all  his  children;  and  there  was  nothing 
in  the  world  left  for  him  to  love  except  that  tree.  And 
lo !  in  the  summer  of  a  certain  year,  the  tree  withered  and 
died! 

Exceedingly  the  old  man  sorrowed  for  his  tree.  Then 
kind  neighbors  found  for  him  a  young  and  beautiful 

463 


JAPAN 

cherry  tree,  and  planted  it  in  his  garden,  —  hoping 
thus  to  comfort  him.  And  he  thanked  them,  and  pre- 
tended to  be  glad.  But  really  his  heart  was  full  of  pain; 
for  he  had  loved  the  old  tree  so  well  that  nothing  could 
have  consoled  him  for  the  loss  of  it. 

At  last  there  came  to  him  a  happy  thought:  he  remem- 
bered a  way  by  which  the  perishing  tree  might  be  saved. 
(It  was  the  sixteenth  of  the  first  month.)  Alone  he  went 
into  his  garden,  and  bowed  down  before  the  withered 
tree,  and  spoke  to  it,  saying:  "Now,  deign,  I  beseech 
you,  once  more  to  bloom,  —  because  I  am  going  to  die 
in  your  stead."  (For  it  is  beUeved  that  one  can  really 
give  away  one's  life  to  another  person,  or  to  a  creature, 
or  even  to  a  tree,  by  the  favor  of  the  gods;  —  and  thus 
to  transfer  one's  Hfe  is  expressed  by  the  term  migawari  ni 
tatsu,  "to  act  as  a  substitute.")  Then  under  that  tree 
he  spread  a  white  cloth,  and  divers  coverings,  and  sat 
down  upon  the  coverings,  and  performed  hara-kiri  after 
the  fashion  of  a  samurai.  And  the  ghost  of  him  went 
into  the  tree,  and  made  it  blossom  in  that  same  hour. 

And  every  year  it  still  blooms  on  the  sixteenth  day  of 
the  first  month,  in  the  season  of  snow. 


JAPANESE   CHILDREN  AND  THEIR   GAMES 

BY   SIR   EDWIN  ARNOLD 

The  children  of  Japan  charm  everybody  who  visits  the 
country.  From  the  highest  to  the  lowest  ranks,  and 
almost  without  exception,  they  are  the  best-behaved, 
least  mischievous,  most  sedate,  demure,  correct,  amus- 
ing, and  unobnoxious  specimens  of  minute  humanity 
to  be  found  on  the  globe.  The  average  American  boy, 
especially  if  born  in  well-to-do  homes,  is  an  egotistic, 
noisy,  restless  Uttle  tyrant,  who  makes  a  railway  saloon 
or  a  drawing-room  a  place  of  torture  to  his  elders.  The 
average  English  boy,  more  shy  and  silent,  is  yet  by 
nature  full  of  mischief  and  suppressed  devilry,  and  is 
too  often  capable  of  the  most  fiendish  cruelty.  As  for 
girls,  they  are  everywhere,  of  course,  more  docile  and 
gentle  than  their  brothers,  and  seldom  provoke  the 
sensitive  mind  to  thoughts  of  infanticide.  But  the 
Japanese  babies  and  children  —  boys  and  girls  alike  — 
dehght  and  comfort  the  foreign  visitor  by  their  ideal 
propriety.  The  streets,  the  houses,  the  temples,  the 
gardens,  the  railway  lines  are  free  and  open  to  them,  for 
their  playground  is  "all  out-of-doors";  yet  they  never 
seem  to  be  in  the  way,  or  to  damage  anything,  or  to 
forget  their  good  manners,  or  break  flowers  and  shrubs, 
or  put  stones  on  the  track.  They  are  so  preternaturally 
and  prematurely  reasonable!  This  does  not  imply  that 
they  are  dull,  or  indifferent,  or  lifeless.  On  the  contrary, 
nowhere  is  youth  so  joyous  as  with  ''young  Japan"; 

465 


JAPAN 

these  little  ones  chirp  like  sparrows  at  every  corner,  and 
flit  from  pleasure  to  pleasure  like  butterflies  in  a  flower- 
garden.  I  think  such  a  pretty  state  of  things  is  due,  first 
of  all,  to  their  gentle,  tender,  dutiful  mothers.  Nowhere 
in  this  world  have  small  boys  and  girls  more  affection- 
ate, patient,  devoted  bringing-up  than  the  little  Japs 
get  on  the  breasts  and  at  the  knees  of  their  okkdsan. 
And  this,  in  after  years,  they  richly  return,  the  reverence 
for  father  and  mother  being  the  very  keystone  of  the 
national  arch.  Filial  piety  is,  next  to  loyalty,  the  car- 
dinal virtue  of  the  land,  even  carrying  the  people  occa- 
sionally to  extravagant  or  even  criminal  lengths.  The 
classic  picture  of  a  good  son  in  the  Japanese  print-shops 
represents  a  certain  young  man  who,  in  the  season  of 
mosquitoes,  stripped  himself  bare  at  bedtime,  and  so  lay 
down  near  his  parents  in  order  that  the  mosquitoes 
might  feed  on  him,  and  let  the  honored  elders  alone. 
And  lately  there  was  a  dreadful  case  in  Tokyo,  where  a 
man  actually  killed  his  wife  because  he  had  been  told 
that  nothing  short  of  that  would  bring  back  to  health 
his  sick  mother.  Such  a  deed,  of  course,  shocked  pub- 
He  opinion  nearly  as  much  in  Japan  as  it  would  do  in 
England,  but  it  illustrates  the  force  and  prevalence  of 
parental  and  fihal  dutifulness  in  the  Empire. 

Another  reason  why  the  Japanese  children  grow  up  so 
good,  so  charming,  so  candid,  so  amenable,  is,  I  think, 
because  they  never  heard  of  such  a  thing  as  "original 
sin,"  and  are  never  treated  on  the  system  which  belongs 
to  it.  By  Buddhist  belief,  no  doubt,  every  little  Jap 
comes  into  the  world  with  the  mistakes  of  a  previous 
existence  to  atone  for  and  to  cancel  —  it  is  the  doctrine 
of  Karma  or  Ingwa.   But  parents,  friends,  neighbors, 

466 


JAPANESE   CHILDREN  AND   THEIR   GAMES 

and  teachers  leave  all  that  to  Destiny  and  to  the 
Kami-Sama ;  their  part  is  to  treat  the  small  being  as  a 
new-come  guest  into  the  garden  of  Hfe,  to  be  received 
with  grace,  kindliness,  and  consideration  as  a  stranger, 
and  not  to  be  bullied  and  browbeaten  into  correctness. 
"  Go  and  see,  Jane,  what  Master  Reginald  is  doing,  and 
tell  him  not  to  do  it!"  —  such  was  the  legend  of  one  of 
Mr.  Du  Maurier's  child-pictures  in  "Punch"  —  but  a 
Japanese  mother  and  a  Japanese  child  could  never  even 
have  comprehended  the  joke.  They  do  not  slap,  or 
thwart,  or  forbid  and  constrain  the  Httle  ones  in  Japan, 
although  they  very  strictly  train  them  to  make  bows, 
and  to  be  silent  and  submissive  and  respectful;  and  it  is  a 
great  recommendation  of  what  may  be  called  the  anti- 
Solomonic  plan  that  the  children  repay  courtesy  with 
courtesy,  and  consideration  by  consideration.  Moreover 
they  see  so  much  of  their  own  world  in  very  early  days 
that  they  do  not  break  forth,  like  those  of  Europe,  into 
its  wonders  and  excitements  fresh  and  frisky  from  the 
nursery.  At  five  or  six  weeks  of  age  the  Japanese  baby 
goes  out  into  the  open  air,  lashed  on  the  back  of  its 
mother,  sister,  aunt,  or  nurse,  and  there  it  rides  all  day 
long,  except  at  necessary  intervals  of  refreshment,  taking 
its  slumber  in  this  peripatetic  cradle,  and,  when  awake, 
seeing  everything  which  goes  on  in  the  streets  with  its 
little  slant-Udded,  beady,  black  eyes,  so  that,  when  it 
comes  to  the  point  of  being  able  to  toddle  for  itself, 
nothing  is  strange  to  the  observant  babe.  It  owes,  also, 
to  that  early  life  in  the  open  air  and  perpetual  motion 
on  the  back  of  some  relation  or  other,  a  large  part  of 
the  generally  robust  health  enjoyed  by  its  kind.  Japan 
is  of  all  countries,  except  England,  that  wherein  the 

467 


JAPAN 

fewest  children  die  between  birth  and  the  age  of  five 
years,  albeit  another  point  in  favor  of  Japanese  babies 
is  that  they  are  nursed  at  the  breast  until  they  are  two, 
or  even  three  years  old.  In  every  way  their  world  is 
made  very  pleasant  to  them  at  starting.  The  towns  and 
villages  are  full  of  toy-shops,  where  the  most  grotesque 
and  ingenious  playthings  are  sold  for  their  benefit,  at 
the  lowest  possible  cost.  When  there  happens  a  temple 
feast  —  a  matsuri  or  ennichi  —  the  precincts  of  the  holy 
shrine  are  crowded  with  toy-stalls  and  the  portable 
shops  of  the  ame-ya,  blowing,  out  of  bean-paste,  all  sorts 
of  "sweeties,"  shaped  into  dragons,  snakes,  birds, 
demons,  and  the  Hke.  Nobody  is  too  proud  or  grand  to 
carry  a  baby,  or  to  be  seen  bearing  home  through  the 
streets  ridiculous  creations  of  fluffy  tigers,  feathery 
cocks  and  hens,  or  balls  of  wool  and  tinsel.  At  the  great 
wrestHng-match  this  year  in  Ekoin  I  watched  a  huge 
sumotori,  the  champion  of  his  class,  overthrow  his  oppo- 
nent after  a  tremendous  struggle,  amid  the  dehghted 
plaudits  of  some  three  thousand  spectators,  who  flung  a 
hundred  hats  and  caps  into  the  ring.  Ten  minutes  after- 
wards I  met  the  same  gigantic  hero,  outside  the  wrestHng 
theater  in  the  street,  carrying  a  bit  of  a  baby  on  his 
back,  by  the  side  of  his  Httle  glossy-haired  wife,  and 
feeding  it  over  his  brawny  shoulder  with  salted  plums. 
The  Japanese  children  have,  by  the  way,  a  vocabu- 
lary quite  their  own  —  just  as  the  jinrikisha-men  talk 
their  own  patois,  and  the  Court  people  use  a  special  form 
of  speech;  while  even  Japanese  women  employ  many 
words  and  phrases  never  heard  from  the  Hps  of  men. 
One  distinguishing  feature  of  the  children  of  Japan  is 
their  sleeves.   After  much  observation  and  meditation 

468 


JAPANESE   CHILDREN  AND   THEIR   GAMES 

in  the  streets  and  roadways  of  the  country,  one  arrives 
at  last  at  an  explanation  of  the  extreme  dignity  which 
the  little  ones  exhibit  under  almost  all  circumstances. 
It  is  due,  you  perceive,  to  the  long  flowing  sleeves  which 
they  wear.  Nothing  in  respect  of  dress  gives  so  much 
importance  and  presence  to  the  human  figure,  grown  or 
ungrown,  as  wide  and  hanging  sleeves;  and  all  the  little 
Japanese,  when  habited  at  all,  go  about  in  tiny  gowns 
very  much  resembling  those  worn  by  Masters  of  Arts 
and  Doctors  of  Divinity  at  Oxford  and  Cambridge.  If 
ladies  only  knew  how  much  that  is  graceful  and  impos- 
ing depends  upon  deep,  long,  flowing  sleeves,  they  would 
abandon  the  tight  fashions  of  the  present  time,  and  go 
back  in  this  regard  to  the  beautiful  costumes  which 
English  dames  wore  in  the  days  of  the  Edwards  and 
Henries,  and  which  have  been  universal  in  Japan  for 
two  thousand  years.  A  whole  book  might  be  written 
about  the  aesthetic  and  social  value  and  dignity  of  long 
sleeves. 

Special  days  are  set  apart  in  the  Japanese  year  for 
the  boys'  and  girls'  festivals.  The  great  day  of  the  girls 
is  March  3,  when  all  the  doll-shops  in  Tokyo,  Kyoto, 
and  the  other  large  towns,  are  full  of  what  are  called 
0  hina  sama  —  models  on  a  tiny  scale  of  the  Emperor 
and  Empress,  with  their  court  and  domestic  belongings. 
These  toy  establishments  are  handed  down  from 
mother  to  daughter,  and  I  have  seen  high-born  children 
playing  with  hina  sama  three  hundred  years  old  and 
more.  The  special  day  for  the  boys  falls  on  May  5  every 
year,  when  the  air  is  full  everywhere  of  great,  hollow, 
floating  fish  made  out  of  colored  and  gilded  paper  (which 
the  wind  inflates),  hoisted  high  upon  a  tall  bamboo  pole 

469 


JAPAN 

in  front  of  each  abode  where  a  male  child  has  been  born. 
The  fish  is  the  carp  (koi)  the  universal  emblem  of  cour- 
age and  perseverance,  because  he  swims  so  stoutly 
against  the  stream,  and  hardly  consents  to  die  when  he 
is  cut  into  thin  sHces  for  sashimi. 

In  early  years,  and,  indeed,  until  the  age  of  eighteen 
or  nineteen,  nothing  can  be  too  gay  and  brilliant  for  a 
Japanese  damsel  to  wear.  The  little  Nippon  maids  go 
about  far  outvying  in  splendor  the  great  butterflies  of 
crimson  and  gold,  or  of  saSron  and  silver,  which  flit 
around  their  heads  in  the  gardens  and  bamboo-groves. 
Parental  affection  seems  to  exhaust  itself  in  devising 
gorgeous  colors  and  attractive  patterns  for  their  little 
ohi  and  kimono,  while  the  jihan,  or  underskirt,  cannot 
possibly  be  too  magnificent.  If  these  garments  be  only 
of  cotton,  the  mother  and  father  will  have  them  gay; 
but  even  the  poor  children  generally  manage  to  wear 
fabrics  half  of  silk,  and  half  of  cotton,  and  the  well-to-do 
always  have  their  clothes  composed  of  silk,  or  the  beauti- 
ful silk-crape  known  as  chirimen.  This  last  takes  the 
most  brilHant  dyes  quite  perfectly,  and  admits  of  very 
lovely  decorative  effects,  in  obtaining  which  nothing  is 
feared  except  inharmonious  combinations.  You  see 
young  maidens  in  the  streets  and  the  temple-gardens 
literally  glittering  with  gold,  silver,  vermiHon,  sea-green, 
sky-blue,  rose-red,  and  orange;  some  wearing  an  upper 
dress  covered  with  fans,  birds,  waving  woods,  bamboo 
boughs,  or  fish;  and  at  a  garden-party  given  by  the 
Princess  Mori  at  Takanawa,  I  was  presented  to  a  yoimg 
lady  —  the  lineal  descendant  of  the  great  house  of 
Tokonawa  Shoguns  —  whose  jihan  of  azure  silk  was  an 
embroidered  pool  of  lotus-blossoms,  while  her  kimono  of 

470 


JAPANESE   CHILDREN  AND   THEIR   GAMES 

tender,  creamy  chirimen  had  on  it  Japanese  landscapes 
of  rising  moons,  rice-fields,  Fuji-yama,  with  the  snow 
upon  its  crest,  and  such-like.  When  the  mature  age  of 
twenty  or  twenty-one  is  reached,  these  dazzling  glories 
of  the  toilet  are  exchanged  for  sober-hued  dresses, 
gray,  dove-color,  tea-color,  fawn,  and  brown;  but  even 
then  the  jiban  may  always  be  as  glorious  in  color  and 
patterns  as  fancy  dictates,  and  the  obi  a  splendid  piece 
of  figured  satin.  The  attire  of  the  boys  is  in  every  case 
quieter  and  more  restrained,  and  elderly  people  cannot 
be  clad  too  soberly. 

Japanese  girls  grow  up  to  be  Japanese  women  with- 
out change  in  their  gentleness,  docihty,  or  good  man- 
ners; and  Japanese  boys  continue  to  appear  attractive, 
candid,  free  from  mauvaise  honte,  and  altogether  delight- 
ful, imtil  they  reach  the  awkward  and  gawky  age,  which 
for  a  time  spoils  most  lads.  The  Japanese  boy  is  dehght- 
ful;  the  Japanese  man  is  generally  intelligent,  pohte, 
and,  in  his  degree,  worthy;  but  the  Japanese  youth, 
especially  in  the  middle  classes,  is  wont  to  prove  a 
hobbledehoy  and  a  social  nuisance.  As  scholars  and 
students  they  are  almost  faultless.  There  are  no  rules 
of  discipline  or  punishment  in  the  schools  and  colleges, 
because  none  are  needed.  The  pupils  are  only  too  anx- 
ious to  learn,  and  are  always  in  their  places  before  the 
master  is  ready,  and  keen  to  continue  work  when  he 
is  tired.  They  are  too  apt  to  think  they  know  a  subject 
when  they  have  only  commenced  to  imderstand  its 
rudiments;  and  although  always  deferential  to  their 
sensei,  the  teacher,  they  will  dictate  to  him,' if  he  per- 
mits, the  course  of  study.  But  a  certain  number  of  them, 
mingling  very  imperfect  modern  education  with  very 

471 


JAPAN 

crude  political  theories,  leave  their  schools  and  colleges 
full  of  ambitions  and  desires  which  are  beyond  their 
range,  and  instead  of  accepting  humble  and  useful  walks 
in  life,  turn  into  detestable  and  dangerous  agitators, 
whose  want  of  sense  would  be  contemptible  if  their 
inherited  disregard  of  personal  risk  and  their  passionate 
entetement  did  not  render  them  evils  to  be  reckoned  with. 
These  are  the  soshi.  Like  our  own  young  "baboos"  of 
Bengal,  and  "reformers"  from  the  Indian  Government 
College,  they  have  got  the  wind  of  personal  and  political 
conceit  in  their  heads;  but,  unUke  the  "baboos,"  they 
are  not  in  the  least  timid.  For  want  of  other  and  better 
employ,  they  hire  themselves  out  to  unscrupulous  poli- 
ticians as  boyish  "swashbucklers,"  to  break  up  public 
meetings,  intimidate  nervous  statesmen,  dominate  the 
voting  places  with  noise  and  menace,  and  sometimes 
even  to  commit  assault  or  murder.  It  was  one  of  these 
unlovely  youths  who,  brooding  fanatically  over  a  sup- 
posed offense  against  the  religio  loci  of  a  temple  at  Ise, 
assassinated  my  enlightened  and  illustrious  friend 
Viscount  Mori;  and  another  such  threw  the  bomb  which 
deprived  Count  Okuma,  the  Japanese  Prime  Minister, 
of  a  limb.  The  worst  of  them  are  well  known  to  the 
Government  and  the  police,  and  when  any  rather  excit  • 
ing  time  is  coming  forward  in  Tokyo,  and  popular  dis- 
turbance has  to  be  feared,  it  is  not  unusual  for  the 
Administration  to  clear  them  out  of  the  capital  by  scores 
or  hundreds,  obliging  them  to  spend  a  little  of  their 
ill-used  leisure  at  Yokohama  or  elsewhere,  until  the 
temporary  excitement  has  died  away  in  the  seat  of 
Government. 
The  outdoor  games  of  the  Japanese  children  are  much 

472 


JAPANESE   CHILDREN   AND   THEIR   GAMES 

like  those  of  other  small  folk  in  various  parts  of  the 
world;  though  the  ingenuity  of  the  race  refines  upon 
them.  The  tako,  or  kite;  the  koma,  or  top;  the  playing- 
ball,  tama;  the  stilts,  take-uma;  the  hoop,  taga;  the 
swing,  bu-ranko;  the  skipping-rope,  nawa-koguli;  pris- 
oner's base,  0  nigoko;  and  oyama-no-taisho,  king  of  the 
castle,  are  just  as  popular,  with  many  other  familiar 
pastimes,  in  Tokyo  as  in  London.  But  the  natural 
skill  and  adroitness  of  the  people  improve  upon  the 
Western  forms  of  these  sports.  The  kites  are  much  more 
scientific  than  ours,  with  long  streamers  at  the  lower 
corners,  and  strange  little  contrivances  to  produce 
sounds,  explosions,  and  illuminations  in  the  sky. 
Japanese  tops,  which  will  spin  ever  so  long  on  a  string 
or  a  knife-edge,  are  well  known;  and  as  for  Japanese 
ball-play,  there  is  not  a  little  maid  of  five  or  six  years  in 
the  streets  who  cannot  keep  two  or  three  of  them  in  the 
air  at  once  with  one  hand,  while  the  other  holds  the 
umbrella  over  the  bald  pate  of  the  rocking  baby.  Some 
of  their  indoor  games  might  be  very  well  introduced 
among  English  children,  being  graceful  and  merry,  yet 
free  from  boisterousness.  For  example,  there  is  the 
pretty  sport  of  tsuri-kitsune,  or  "fox-catching,"  at 
which  many  may  play  at  once.  Somebody  unwinds 
his  or  her  silken  sash,  and  ties  it  in  a  half -hitch,  or  a 
reefer's  knot,  so  as  to  make  a  running-noose,  of  which 
two  players  hold  the  opposite  ends,  balancing  the  noose 
vertically  on  the  floor.  Then  any  Httle  prize  —  a  sweet- 
meat or  what-not  —  is  laid  on  the  floor  on  the  far-side 
of  the  noose,  and  one  by  one  the  outsiders  try  to  snatch 
the  object  safely  through  the  trap,  the  two  players 
seeking  to  catch  the  fox's  paw  just  as  it  goes  into  the 

473 


JAPAN 

noose.  Great  fun  is  elicited  from  this,  and  when  a  fox 
is  caught,  he  surrenders  all  his  prizes  and  takes  one  end 
of  the  snare.  Or  this  is  sometimes  coupled  with  our 
English  game  of  forfeits.  Again,  there  is  a  quiet  and 
amusing  Japanese  form  of  blind-man's  buff,  me-gakushi, 
where  the  fun  is  had  with  a  large  soft  ball,  not  hard 
enough  to  break  anything  or  to  hurt;  and  the  blind  man 
—  after  turning  round  three  times  —  throws  this  very 
suddenly  in  a  direction  as  unexpected  as  possible,  any 
person  struck  being  obliged  to  take  his  place.  Another 
form  of  me-gakushi  is  where  the  blind  man  sits  in  the 
center  of  a  large  circle  made  around  him  by  the  other 
players,  after  he  has  had  his  eyes  covered,  and  he  is  then 
allowed  to  talk,  make  jokes,  say  anything  he  can  to  pro- 
voke a  giggle  or  an  ejaculation,  so  that  he  may  specify 
the  exact  position  in  the  circle  of  somebody,  and  oblige 
that  one  to  take  his  place.  This  is  called  ocha-boji,  and 
admits  of  the  most  charming  developments. 


ISLANDS  OF  THE  PACIFIC 


HISTORICAL  NOTE 

In  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century,  Australia  was 
visited  by  the  Dutch  and  Spanish,  and  toward  the  end  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  it  was  explored  to  some  extent  by 
Captain  Cook.  At  this  time  England  was  in  search  of  a  place 
to  which  her  criminals  might  be  sent.  New  South  Wales 
was  chosen,  and  a  penal  settlement  was  formed.  Great 
abuses  were  followed  by  reforms,  and  explorations  of  the 
country  continued.  In  1837  transportation  to  New  South 
Wales  was  abolished,  and  convicts  were  sent  to  Van  Die- 
man's  Land,  now  Tasmania.  This,  too,  was  given  up  in 
1853.  Two  years  earlier,  gold  was  discovered  in  Australia, 
and  within  a  year  200,000  seekers  for  the  precious  metal  had 
flocked  into  the  country.  In  1901  the  "Commonwealth  of 
Australia"  was  formed  by  the  union  of  Austraha  and 
Tasmania. 

Australia  and  New  Zealand  are  noteworthy  for  the  wide 
scope  of  state  activity.  In  both  commonwealths  the  govern- 
ment owns  and  operates  railways  (both  steam  and  electric) , 
highways,  telegraph  and  telephone  lines,  savings  banks  and 
loan  agencies,  and  has  a  system  of  old-age  pensions. 


i 


THE  FIRST  AUSTRALIAN  COLONISTS 

BY   W.    H.    LANG 

[In  1768,  Captain  James  Cook  was  sent  to  the  South  Seas 
in  command  of  an  expedition  to  observe  the  transit  of  Venus. 
After  this  work  had  been  accomplished,  he  sailed  about  and 
visited  the  "Great  South  Land,"  or  Australia.  He  touched 
at  Botany  Bay  and  tried  to  win  the  hearts  of  the  savages; 
he  almost  lost  his  ship,  and  ran  into  the  stream  which  is  still 
called  Endeavor  River  to  repair  the  damage.  After  many 
other  adventures,  he  reached  England  in  safety.  The  result 
of  this  voyage  was  the  colonizing  of  Australia.  The  following 
account  explains  how  this  came  to  pass. 

The  Editor] 

This  mighty  work  [the  colonization  of  Australia]  began 
in  a  very  humble  way.  Until  1775,  you  must  know  that 
the  convicted  prisoners  in  England  were  transported  to 
North  America,  where  they  were  employed  as  laborers 
by  the  colonists  there.  In  this  year,  however,  the  Ameri- 
can War  broke  out,  and  in  1783  the  treaty  was  signed 
granting  independence.  America  could  no  longer  be  a 
dumping-ground  for  our  criminals,  and  the  Government 
was  looking  out  for  some  place  to  which  they  could 
transport  this  undesirable  population.  Cook's  report 
of  Botany  Bay  suggested  possibilities  in  this  direction, 
and  it  was  finally  agreed  to  make  the  experiment  on  a 
large  scale.  Anything  was  better  than  a  return  to  the 
old  indiscriminate  executions,  when  a  string  of  prisoners 
would  be  hanged  before  thousands  of  spectators,  every 
Monday  morning  in  London  alone.  So  an  expedition  was 

477 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

prepared  which  was  to  convey  a  little  army  of  felons 
across  almost  unknown  seas,  to  the  land  at  the  very 
other  side  of  the  world.  If  you  come  to  think  of  it,  it 
was  rather  a  grisly  undertaking.  There  were  six  ship- 
loads of  convicts,  three  vessels  full  of  stores  for  their  use, 
an  armed  tender,  and  His  Majesty's  frigate  Sirius.  The 
whole  expedition  was  under  the  command  of  Governor 
Arthur  Phillip,  a  sailor,  while  the  Sirius  herself  had  for 
her  captain  one  John  Hunter. 

There  were  in  all  six  hundred  and  twenty  male  and 
two  hundred  and  fifty  female  convicts.  A  detachment 
of  two  hundred  and  eight  marines  was  also  to  be  shipped, 
to  keep  the  convicts  in  order,  and  with  them  forty  of 
their  wives  and  a  few  children. 

What  a  motley  crew  they  must  have  been!  Some  so 
old  that  they  could  not  work,  some  very  young.  Take 
them  as  a  whole,  no  doubt  they  were  a  shockingly  bad 
lot.  Most  of  them  were  both  born  and  educated  to 
crime,  a  few,  perhaps  —  and  God  help  them !  —  inno- 
cent. 

With  this  strange  company  around  him,  Governor 
Phillip,  as  commander  of  the  fleet,  hoisted  his  flag  on  the 
Sirius,  and  on  the  13th  of  May,  1787,  in  the  early  morn- 
ing, they  weighed  anchor  from  the  Mother  Bank  in  the 
Isle  of  Wight.  Even  as  they  sailed  a  free  pardon  arrived 
for  two  of  the  prisoners,  and  you  can  imagine  their  feel- 
ings as  they  stepped  on  shore  into  England  on  a  fine 
May  morning,  instead  of  sailing  away  across  the  barren 
seas,  hopeless  of  any  return,  to  a  sterile,  and,  in  their 
eyes,  a  hideous  land,  at  the  very  ends  of  the  earth,  to  be 
eaten,  perhaps,  by  black  savages.  You  may  be  sure 
every  horrible  possibility  was  magnified  many  times  in 

478 


THE   FIRST  AUSTRALIAN   COLONISTS 

the  thoughts  and  talk  of  those  first  unwilling  passengers 
to  these  lands. 

I  have  often,  in  imagination,  stood  on  one  of  the  ships 
as  the  fleet  sailed  away  that  morning.  A  fresh  breeze 
was  blowing  down  the  Channel,  and  although  it  was 
summer  time,  it  was  cold  and  bracing.  There  was  a 
clear,  cold  horizon  with  sails  gleaming  white  in  the  morn- 
ing sun,  but  no  smoke,  as  we  see  it  now,  from  steamers 
plying  to  and  fro.  Watt  was  only  just  evolving  the  steam 
engine  at  that  time.  You  can  hear  the  bos'n's  whistle, 
the  clank  of  the  capstan  as  the  anchor  was  weighed,  the 
"chanty"  of  the  men  as  they  hauled  on  the  topsail  hal- 
yards. Then  each  ship  fluttered  her  white  wings,  the 
water  whitened  in  foam  at  the  bows,  the  land  began  to 
drop  astern,  and  many  had  said  good-bye  to  Old  Eng- 
land for  ever  and  a  day.  You  can  see,  too,  what  was 
going  on  below.  Before  you  reach  the  hatchway  you 
know  that  there  is  a  seething  mass  of  humanity  in  the 
ship's  carcass  —  over  two  himdred  men,  criminals, 
many  with  a  Hfe  sentence,  a  collection  of  the  greatest 
blackguards  unhung.  The  ship  is  beginning  to  toss  and 
to  feel  the  uneasiness  of  a  brisk  passage  in  the  Channel. 
Most  of  these  passengers  have  never  been  to  sea  before, 
and  some  are  cursing,  while  others  are  groaning;  the 
timbers  are  creaking,  and  the  water  is  thumping  and 
splashing  at  the  bows.  As  I  think  of  it  all,  somehow 
I  can  always  see  the  figure  of  one  man.  He  is  in  con- 
vict's dress,  and  is  holding  on  by  a  hammock,  peering 
through  the  little  sHt  which  serves  as  the  only  porthole 
to  light  and  ventilate  the  space  occupied  by  two  hun- 
dred men.  Here  the  hammocks  are  slung  with  only  a 
foot  and  an  half  between.    He  has  a  bad  face.    The 

479 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

black  hair  is  close-cropped,  the  chin  clean-shaven,  but 
the  mustache,  beard,  and  whiskers  are  showing  blue 
against  his  sallow  skin.  He  has  gray  eyes  set  wide  apart, 
a  straight  nose  with  deUcate  nostrils,  upper  lip  long  and 
the  lower  undershot,  and  his  teeth  are  white  and  strong. 
The  hand  that  steadies  him  is  the  hand  of  a  gentleman. 
As  he  looks  at  the  shore  slipping  away  behind,  the  eyes 
for  one  moment  soften  and  gleam  with  tears,  and  then 
with  an  oath  and  a  hard  laugh  they  relapse  into  the  cruel, 
devil-may-care  look,  tinged  with  cunning  when  a  warder 
or  parson  appears,  I  always  see  this  fellow,  and  wonder 
who  he  is.  One  who  has  had  opportunities  and  passed 
them  by,  no  doubt.  The  mother  who  bore  him  would 
not  know  him  now.  Let  us  hope  that  she  may  never  know 
his  fate.  As  the  mind  travels  ahead,  I  can  see  him  with 
a  dull,  sulky,  dazed  face,  taking  his  place  beneath  a 
beam  from  which  a  rope  is  hanging  down,  in  the  new 
land  to  which  they  are  all  traveling,  and  soon  it  is  all 
over.    A  horrid  subject,  but  true. 

So  away  sailed  the  first  settlers,  and  the  breeze  grew 
to  a  favorable  gale,  and  they  made  fair  weather  of  it, 
until  in  three  days  they  were  on  the  broad  Atlantic,  and 
their  escort,  the  Hyena,  left  them,  and  returned  to 
Portsmouth  with  the  news  that  all  was  well.  But  so 
boisterous  was  it  that  Governor  Phillip  could  write  no 
dispatches  to  take  home.  Nor  could  they  have  been 
transshipped  if  he  had  written.  The  only  ill  news  that 
the  Hyena  brought  was  that  a  mutiny  had  broken  out 
in  the  Scarborough  among  the  convicts,  but  it  had  been 
quelled,  and  the  ringleaders  (the  chief  of  whom  was  the 
man  whom  I  have  described  to  you)  punished.  They 
made  a  comparatively  uneventful  voyage  of  it,  calling 

480 


THE   FIRST  AUSTRALIAN   COLONISTS 

at  Rio  and  the  Cape.  We  should  think  the  voyage  an 
insufferably  long  one  now.  From  May  13  to  June  3 
they  were  between  the  Isle  of  Wight  and  Teneriffe.  At 
this  island  they  remained  a  week,  watering  and  laying 
in  fresh  food,  and  here  a  miserable  man,  a  convict,  es- 
caped in  a  small  boat,  but  was  quickly  captured.  Poor 
devil!  His  back  smarted,  you  may  be  sure,  for  this  last 
throw  for  Hberty.  Up  to  this  time  twenty-one  convicts 
and  three  children  had  died,  and  we  wonder  from  what 
cause.  From  June  10  to  August  6  the  fleet  were  sailing 
between  Teneriffe  and  Rio.  During  a  similar  period  we 
could  now  almost  accomplish  the  voyage  from  London 
to  Melbourne  and  hack.  They  again  weighed  anchor  on 
September  4,  and  had  a  prosperous  and  quite  rapid  pas- 
sage to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  which  was  reached  on 
October  13.  After  laying  in  a  stock  of  provisions  and 
five  hundred  head  of  live  stock,  on  November  12  they 
once  more  set  sail.  For  thirteen  days  they  made  such 
little  headway  —  only  two  hundred  and  forty  miles  — 
that  Governor  Phillip  transshipped  from  the  frigate 
Sirius  into  the  tender  Supply,  in  order  that  he  might 
push  ahead  and  make  preparations  for  landing.  But 
from  this  date  favorable  breezes  blew  with  such  force 
that  in  forty  days  the  land  of  New  South  Wales  was 
sighted,  and  on  the  loth  of  January,  1788,  the  Supply 
cast  anchor  in  Botany  Bay.  Before  three  days  had 
passed,  the  remainder  of  the  fleet  had  arrived  and  had 
all  anchored  within  the  bay.  Since  embarkation  at 
Spithead  they  had  lost  by  death  on  board  the  fleet  one 
marine,  one  marine's  wife  and  child,  thirty-six  male, 
four  female  con\dcts,  and  five  children.  On  landing,  an 
epidemic  of  dysentery  broke  out,  and  by  June  20  the 

481 


ISLANDS   OF  THE  PACIFIC 

total  deaths  among  the  convicts  had  run  up  to  eighty- 
one  since  leaving  England,  and  there  were  fifty-two  unfit 
for  labor  on  account  of  old  age  and  infirmities.  One 
wonders  how  on  earth  old  men  like  that  were  sent  so  far 
away  to  found  a  colony.  But  such  as  they  were,  here 
they  are  at  last,  every  ship  of  the  fleet  all  anchored  in 
Botany  Bay,  with  a  wonderfully  clean  bill  of  health, 
two  hundred  and  fifty-two  days  from  Spithead.  It  was 
a  fine  accomplishment  in  those  days,  and  Governor 
PhiUip  doubtless  slept  sound  that  night,  when  the  last 
cable  had  rattled  out,  and  the  last  anchor  had  fallen  with 
a  splash  into  the  shallow  waters  of  Botany  Bay. 

Botany  Bay  proved  a  disappointing  place  to  land  at. 
What  was  a  fine  harbor  for  Cook's  little  ship  was  but  a 
poor  refuge  for  a  dozen.  The  country  round  was  very 
bare  and  barren,  and  looked  swampy  and  unhealthy, 
while  the  water-supply  was  limited.  Phillip,  however, 
was  not  a  man  to  sit  still.  The  last  of  his  transports  had 
arrived  on  January  20,  and  by  the  2  2d  he  was  off  with 
three  boats,  northward,  to  find  some  better  landing- 
place.  He  had  not  far  to  go.  Three  leagues  along  the 
coast  was  a  "boat  harbor,"  so  marked  by  Captain  Cook, 
but  which  the  great  explorer  had  not  had  time  to  visit. 
He  had  only  seen  its  entrance  from  the  Endeavor's  deck 
whilst  sailing  past.  Through  the  narrow  heads,  with 
their  steep  rocks  on  either  hand,  Phillip  and  his  three 
boats  glided  on  the  forenoon  of  January  24.  And  you 
know  now  what  he  saw.  A  deep  winding  harbor  and 
innumerable  coves,  all  with  water  enough  to  hold  quite 
easily  the  fleet  awaiting  it  in  Botany  Bay.  Well- 
wooded  shores  there  were,  and  water  for  the  drawing, 
birds  innumerable,  herbage  and  flowers.    It  was  very 

482 


THE  FIRST  AUSTRALIAN   COLONISTS 

beautiful,  and  to  one  particular  cove  where  the  water  was 
deepest,  and  where  a  little  brook  ran  down,  Phillip  de- 
termined to  fetch  his  fleet  and  disembark  his  crews. 
For  two  days  he  explored  the  windings  of  the  harbor 
and  found  no  spot  more  favorable  than  this  his  first 
love.  So  he  named  it  Sydney  Cove,  after  the  minister, 
Viscount  Sydney,  and  in  his  dispatch  he  remarked  that 
"here  a  thousand  ships  could  ride  at  anchor  with  ease." 
So  was  founded  and  named  the  town  of  Sydney,  the 
eighth  largest  city  of  the  Empire. 


GOLD,   GOLD,   GOLD! 

BY   W.   H.   LANG 

Australia  had  been  having  a  bad  time  of  it  in  the 
forties.  What  with  droughts,  the  low  price  of  stock,  the 
slow  growth  of  population,  and  the  fact  that  the  market 
for  her  produce  lay  so  very,  very  far  away  from  the 
thickly  populated  countries  of  the  Old  World,  things 
were  not  looking  very  bright. 

And  in  1849,  by  the  merest  chance,  gold  was  found  in 
CaUfornia,  and  found,  too,  by  a  New  South  Wales  man. 
He  was  deepening  a  mill-race,  when  he  saw  in  the  water 
glowing  particles  large  enough'  to  pick  up  with  his  fin- 
gers. He  knew  that  it  was  gold,  but  he  did  not  know  how 
to  win  it,  and  had  not  an  old  Georgian  miner  been  there, 
the  discovery  might  even  have  lapsed  into  obscurity. 

Before  1849  there  were  only  a  few  thousand  inhabit- 
ants in  the  great  State  of  California.  Then  all  the  riff- 
raff of  the  old  countries  turned  their  faces  to  the  west, 
and  a  great  crowd  streamed  away,  their  eyes  burning 
and  glowing  in  the  desire  for  the  wealth  which  they  be- 
lieved would  lie  at  their  feet  when  they  reached  the  new 
land.  From  Australia,  too,  a  crowd  rushed  away  to  the 
east  to  join  that  which  was  rolling  to  the  west  from  Eu- 
rope, and  our  population  became  even  thinner  than  it 
had  been  before. 

And  amongst  those  emigrants  from  Sydney  was  one 
man  called  Edward  Hammond  Hargraves.  He  shipped 
with  many  others  in  a  vessel  called  the  Elizabeth  Archer, 

484 


GOLD,  GOLD,  GOLD! 

and  arrived  in  San  Francisco  to  find  the  whole  of  the 
great  bay  beside  the  town  a  forest  of  masts.  The  whole 
world  seemed  to  be  flocking  there,  and  Hargraves  joined 
the  crowd.  But  if  for  twenty  years  fortune  had  not 
smiled  upon  him  in  New  South  Wales,  neither  yet  did 
she  seem  to  be  any  more  kind  in  CaHfornia.  Yet  al- 
though he  won  no  more  gold  than  was  sufficient  to  keep 
him  going,  he  was  an  observant  fellow,  a  practical  geol- 
ogist in  a  rough  way,  and  a  man  of  character,  industrious 
and  determined.  As  he  worked  away  in  the  CaHfornia 
gullies  and  saw  the  nature  of  the  country,  it  began  to 
take  possession  of  his  mind  that  he  had  seen  exactly 
like  formations  in  the  land  which  he  had  just  left,  the 
same  geological  strata,  and  the  same  combination  of 
deposits  which  led  the  experienced  to  say,  "Here  is 
gold." 

His  companions  laughed  at  his  theories,  but  he  was 
deeply  in  earnest,  and  he  hankered  day  and  night  to  be  at 
home  again.  He  had  arrived  in  San  Francisco  in  1849. 
He  sailed  in  the  barque  Emma  in  January,  185 1,  and, 
like  all  true  AustraHans,  who  think  there  is  no  country 
in  the  world  like  their  own,  was  glad  to  be  at  home  again. 
Hargraves  made  no  secret  of  his  theories  either  on  the 
voyage  or  on  his  arrival  in  Sydney,  but  he  was  laughed 
at  as  a  crank.  "Gold  in  Australia!  Pooh,  pooh!" 
The  man  was  mad.  And  yet  gold  had  already  been  won 
there.  Away  far  back  in  the  time  of  Governor  Phillip 
a  conNdct  had  produced  a  piece  of  gold  which  he  said  he 
had  found.  He  could  discover  no  more,  and  got  a  flog- 
ging for  his  pains,  as  an  impostor  and  a  Har. 

Sir  Roderick  Murchison,  the  geologist,  had  written 
papers  showing  that  in  geological  formation  portions  of 

485 


ISLANDS  OF  THE  PACIFIC 

Australia  resembled  the  diggings  in  the  Urals.  Count 
Strezlecki,  who  pioneered  Gippsland,  had  found  an 
auriferous  iron  ore,  but  not  likely  to  be  payable,  and  it 
was  known  that  a  man  had  picked  up  a  nugget  several 
ounces  in  weight  on  the  Fish  River  in  1830. 

Then  there  were  all  sorts  of  rumors  of  how  convict 
shepherds  had  made  themselves  rich  by  selhng  gold  to 
the  Jews  in  Sydney,  and  there  was  no  doubt  that  one 
old  fellow  called  McGregor  from  time  to  time  took  par- 
cels of  gold  to  the  city  and  sold  them  there. 

Hargraves  knew  all  these  things,  and  he  could  not 
rest  for  a  moment  after  landing  in  Sydney.  He  hired 
a  horse  and  set  out  early  in  February  across  the  Blue 
Mountains.  It  was  a  lonesome,  desolate  ride  through 
a  barren,  sterile  country;  but  after  being  lost  once  he 
arrived  on  the  fourth  day  at  a  little  inn,  kept  by  a  widow 
woman  named  Lister,  at  Guyong.  He  was  nearly  in  the 
country  now  which  he  had  had  in  his  mind's  eye  all 
through  his  California  wanderings,  and  he  was  in  a  high 
state  of  excitement,  you  may  be  sure.  He  took  Mrs. 
Lister  into  his  confidence,  and  she,  as  most  women 
would  have  been,  was  fairly  bitten  by  the  scheme  and 
the  prospects  that  Hargraves  held  out  to  her.  When 
asked  to  find  a  black  boy  as  a  guide,  she  at  once  offered 
the  services  of  her  own  son,  who  knew  every  inch  of  the 
country  all  round  for  many  miles. 

They  started  away  from  the  inn  on  the  12  th  of  Febru- 
ary, in  bright,  early  autumn  weather,  after  a  dry  sum- 
mer, and  in  a  very  few  miles  Hargraves  recognized  the 
old  spots  on  the  banks  of  a  creek.  It  was  here  that  his 
mind  had  always  pictured  for  him  the  discovery  of  untold 
treasures  of  gold.   But  the  creek  was  dry  at  the  place, 

486 


GOLD,  GOLD,  GOLD! 

and,  while  his  guide  searched  for  water,  Hargraves 
unwillingly  sat  down  to  take  a  hasty  meal.  Then  the 
boy  returned  with  the  news  that  he  had  found  a  water- 
hole  in  the  creek-bed.  The  horses  were  hobbled  and 
allowed  to  stray  away,  and  the  grand  experiment  was 
begun. 

Hargraves  scratched  the  gravel  off  a  schistose  dike 
which  ran  across  the  creek  at  right  angles,  and  then  with 
a  trowel  he  dug  a  panful  of  the  earth  which  lay  upon  the 
rock,  and  ran  with  it  to  the  water  so  as  to  wash  it  in  his 
dish. 

You  have  never  washed  a  dishful  of  earth,  I  suppose. 
It  is  a  most  exciting  sport,  I  assure  you.  You  have  a 
tin  dish  with  a  little  rim  looking  inwards,  and  there  are 
two  or  three  rings  running  round  the  body  of  the  basin. 
You  put  your  spadeful  of  earth  into  this,  and  then,  sit- 
ting on  your  haunches  by  the  water  side,  you  dip  the 
earth  and  the  dish  into  the  water  and  quickly  wash 
away  all  the  light  soil.  Then  there  is  left,  after  some 
time,  only  the  gravel.  And  this  you  gradually  get  rid  of 
by  swaying  the  basin  backwards  and  forwards,  causing 
the  water  contained  in  it  to  go  round  and  round  like 
a  little  maelstrom,  until  there  is  left  only  the  larger, 
heavier  portions,  and  some  heavy  mineralized  sand. 
Then  you  pick  out  the  big  pieces  of  quartzy  gravel,  mak- 
ing them  to  rasp  pleasantly  on  the  tin,  and  you  throw 
them  to  one  side.  And  as  you  wash,  the  water  grows 
clearer  and  clearer,  and  the  sand  leaves  a  tail  behind  it 
as  the  water  sweeps  it  round  your  dish.  And  then  in  the 
tail  you  see  gleaming,  dull  and  warm,  not  glittering,  but 
glowing  rather,  the  unmistakable,  unspeakable,  soul- 
stirring  virgin  gold. 

487 


ISLANDS   OF  THE   PACIFIC 

So  it  was  with  Hargraves. 

Down  there  in  the  lonely  gullies  by  the  creek-side  he 
washed  dish  after  dish  of  soil,  and  in  each  lay  the  little 
particles,  those  treasures  which  had  been  hidden  from 
the  eyes  of  man  ever  since  the  beginning  of  time.  It  was 
enough  to  make  a  man  lose  his  head,  and  for  a  moment, 
indeed,  as  he  tells  us  himself,  he  did  go  mad. 

"  I  shall  be  made  a  baronet,"  he  called  out  to  his 
guide.  "You  will  be  knighted,  and  the  old  horse  stuffed 
and  put  in  the  British  Museum."  And  his  innocent 
companion  believed  him.  It  is  curious  that  Hargraves's 
mind  did  not  seem  to  run  on  acquiring  imtold  wealth 
by  his  discovery.  I  think  I  should  have  liked  to  go  and 
dig  and  wash,  and  wash  and  dig,  until  I  had  acquired 
enough  of  the  stuff  to  buy  a  principality,  and  then  have 
gone  and  told  the  authorities  all  about  it.  What  do  you 
think  you  would  have  done?  But  Hargraves  wished  to 
be  made  a  baronet,  of  all  things,  and  have  his  horse 
stuffed !  * 

And  so  what  did  he  do?  He  proved  about  seventy 
miles  of  country  to  be  gold  bearing,  he  saw  £10,000 
raised  in  a  week  to  the  surface,  and  he  called  the  place 
Ophir.  Then  he  hastened  back  to  Sydney  and  bargained 
that  Government  should  give  him  £10,000  down  as  a 
reward  for  his  great  discovery.  This  was  agreed  to,  and 
they  also  made  him  commissioner  on  the  goldfields,  a 
not  very  lucrative  post.  And  with  this  he  was  contented. 
But,  as  he  himself  tells,  had  he  asked  for  ten  shillings 
from  every  hundred  pounds'  worth  of  gold  won  for  the 
first  three  years,  it  would  not  have  been  considered 
excessive.  But  by  the  bargain  he  would  have  become 
the  possessor  of  several  hundred  thousand  of  pounds. 

488 


GOLD,  GOLD,  GOLD! 

And  that  is  the  story  of  how  gold  was  first  found  in 
Australia. 

The  AustraUan  diggings  became  the  magnet  which 
seemed  to  be  attracting  the  whole  earth.  Even  her  own 
towns  were  deserted.  Servants  were  not  to  be  had  at 
any  wage.  Doctors,  lawyers,  shoeblacks,  coachbuilders, 
butchers  and  bakers  —  everybody  —  rushed  away  to 
the  diggings,  eager  to  be  rich.  The  newspapers  were  full 
of  nothing  else  but  gold,  news-sheets,  and  advertise- 
ments. Parramatta,  a  suburb  of  Sydney,  was  abso- 
lutely depopulated.  It  was  a  mad  time.  When  Har- 
graves  had  completed  his  bargain  with  Government,  he 
again  started  out  on  horseback  for  the  fields.  He  found 
a  stream  of  people  going  both  ways,  out  to  the  diggings 
and  back  again.  Those  going  out  were  full  of  hope  and 
fire,  their  faces  shining  Hke  those  travelers  in  the  "Pil- 
grim's Progress"  who  were  going  up  to  the  Golden  City. 
Those  coming  back  were  moving  along  slowly,  sullen  and 
sulky — beaten.  It  was  hke  the  two  streams  of  fighters 
which  eye-witnesses  described  as  going  up  and  down 
Spion  Kop  in  the  Boer  War.  Those  disappointed  ones 
were  vowing  a  terrible  vengeance  on  him  who  had  de- 
ceived them,  as  they  called  it.  Hargraves  did  not  tell 
them  who  he  was.  But  at  a  ferry,  where  numbers  had 
to  wait  their  turn  to  be  taken  over,  having  first  mounted 
his  horse,  he  made  a  speech  to  the  discontented,  pointing 
out  how  and  why  they  had  failed.  It  was  as  well  that 
he  had  been  wise  enough  to  mount  his  horse  before  he 
disclosed  his  name.  The  crowd  would  have  lynched  him. 
They  were  a  motley  crew,  both  coming  and  going.  There 
was  even  a  blind  man  being  led  by  a  lame  one.  The 

489 


ISLANDS   OF  THE   PACIFIC 

cripple  extended  his  hand  over  his  crutch,  and  the  bhnd 
one  held  it,  and  so  they  went  off  with  the  best  of  them, 
all  athirst  for  gold. 

There  was  no  difficulty  in  finding  your  way.  The 
roads  were  full  of  passengers  of  every  kind,  on  foot,  on 
horseback,  in  drays  and  wagons  —  all  sorts.  And  when 
you  at  length  reached  the  land  of  promise,  it  was  a  pic- 
turesque sight. 

As  you  topped  the  last  hill  in  the  ranges,  the  mining 
township  lay  at  your  feet,  all  made  of  canvas  tents  or  of 
wood  huts.  The  creek,  on  which  the  gold  was  being  won, 
wound  at  the  feet  of  thickly  timbered  hills,  and  every 
here  and  there  was  joined  by  a  gully  from  the  mountains. 
The  smoke  was  rising  blue  in  the  distance,  and  from  far 
down  beneath  you  arose  a  constant  rumble  and  hum  like 
distant  thunder.  It  was  the  noise  of  the  "cradles." 
Then  as  evening  fell,  the  lights  of  innumerable  fires  began 
to  twinkle  through  the  darkness,  the  rumble  of  the  cra- 
dles ceased,  and  after  a  while  the  township  slept. 

All  over  the  country  towns  like  this  sprang  up,  and 
not  only  at  the  site  of  the  first  rush,  but  away  down  in 
Victoria,  where  the  wealth  of  gold  soon  eclipsed  that 
found  in  New  South  Wales.  In  a  few  months  there  were 
collected  at  Ballarat  and  Mount  Alexander  alone  be- 
tween twenty  and  thirty  thousand  men.  And  the  total 
population  of  the  colony  only  came  to  a  scant  two  hun- 
dred thousand,  and  it  took  months  before  the  news 
reached  the  Old  World  and  the  thronging  thousands 
began  to  arrive  by  the  shipload.  One  writer  at  this  time, 
in  reference  to  this  distance  from  home,  says:  "The 
clipper  Phaenacian,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  ships  I 
ever  saw,  reached  Plymouth  on  the  3d,  having  made  the 

490 


GOLD,  GOLD,  GOLD! 

unprecedentedly  quick  passage  of  eighty-three  days." 
There  was  no  cable  girdling  the  earth  in  forty  seconds 
then,  and  letters  took  eighty-three  days,  at  the  quickest, 
in  transit.  Now  they  are  delivered  punctually  to  the 
hour  in  thirty;  and  the  wickets,  as  they  fall  in  an  inter- 
national cricket  match  in  London,  are  printed  in  the 
next  morning's  ^' Argus"  in  Melbourne,  twelve  thousand 
miles  away. 

And  then  the  gold  came  pouring  into  the  great  towns 
on  the  seaboard  for  shipment  home.  There  were  tons 
of  it.  And  I  mean  it,  literally,  when  I  write  "tons  of 
it." 

Hargraves  had  washed  his  little  spadefuls  of  earth  in 
February.  The  "  rush  "  had  begun  in  April.  From  No- 
vember the  2d  to  the  30th  of  that  month  the  gold  carried 
from  Ballarat  to  Melbourne  and  Geelong  by  the  Gov- 
ernment escort  alone  weighed  two  tons  and  a  half,  and 
this  was  believed  to  be  only  about  one  third  of  the  whole 
amount  raised  in  this  district  alone.  In  one  month,  from 
one  locaHty,  seven  tons  of  pure  virgin  native  gold!  It 
was  worth  at  the  lowest  three  pounds  ten  an  ounce. 

When  you  look  at  it  in  this  way  you  can  have  but 
little  wonder  that  the  whole  country  went  mad.  And 
in  those  days  it  was  so  easily  found.  In  many  places 
the  precious  stuff  simply  lay  on  the  surface  in  what  are 
called  nuggets.  There  are  plenty  of  these  yet,  if  we  had 
eyes  to  see,  and  knew  where  to  look  for  them,  but  fifty 
years  ago  these  nuggets  were  comparatively  common. 
Here,  for  instance,  is  the  story  of  one  particularly  big 
find. 

It  was  a  few  months  after  the  first  discovery  had  taken 
place  at  Ophir,  in  the  Bathurst  district.   The  first  tre- 

491 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

mendous  excitement  had  died  out,  and  then  there  ap- 
peared one  morning  in  the  Bathurst  newspaper  the 
big  headlines  of  — 

"BATHURST  GONE  MAD  AGAIN!" 

And  it  was  little  wonder. 

A  Dr.  Ker  had  a  station  at  a  place  called  Wallawaugh. 
He  and  his  wife  had  been  very  kind  to  the  blacks,  and 
they  had  several  of  them  employed  as  shepherds  and 
workers  on  the  run.  One  afternoon  a  black  fellow  who 
had  been  shepherding  sheep  came  in  and  told  the  Doctor 
that  he  had  found  a  big  lump  of  gold  far  out  on  the  place. 
Gold  was  of  no  use  to  him,  but  he  had  heard  much  talk 
about  it,  and  knew  how  the  white  men  valued  the  dross. 
The  Doctor  mounted  his  horse  and  took  a  hammer  and 
a  saddlebag.  There  it  lay,  open  to  the  view  of  any  man 
who  might  pass  that  way.  No  wonder  if  the  sheep's  teeth 
that  had  nibbled  round  it  had  been  "filled"  with  gold. 
At  his  feet  the  Doctor  saw  a  mass  of  gold  and  quartz 
which  weighed  over  a  hundredweight.  Four  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  sixty  pounds'  worth  was  his  for  the 
trouble  of  the  day's  ride. 

It  is  told  that  on  the  journey  home  the  Doctor  had 
to  stop  at  some  outlying  house,  and  he  had  no  wish  that 
the  nature  of  the  packet  in  his  saddlebag  should  be 
known.  He  flung  it  carelessly  down  beside  the  fence 
as  he  dismounted  from  his  horse. 

"That's  heavy,"  said  the  owner  of  the  house. 

"Ah!  my  word,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "it  might  be 
gold."  And  the  curious  part  of  this  discovery  was  that 
nowhere  near  the  spot  where  the  hundredweight  had 
lain  could  any  more  gold  be  found.  Even  the  earth  from 

492 


GOLD,  GOLD,  GOLD! 

the  vicinity,  when  washed,  yielded  not  one  grain,  not  a 
tiny  speck. 

But  with  gold  to  be  won  by  the  ton,  and  with  hun- 
dredweights lying  on  the  surface,  so  that  you  might 
make  them  your  pillow  as  you  lay  back  and  smoked 
your  after-dinner  pipe  whilst  you  were  watching  the 
sheep,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  gold-fever  spread  like 
the  measles  or  influenza,  and  that  the  whole  community 
lost  their  heads.  As  ship  after  ship  came  sailing  in  and 
discharged  its  load  of  immigrants,  the  sailors  used  to 
bolt  away  as  the  anchor  fell,  leaving  their  officers  in 
despair  to  work  their  vessels  as  they  might. 

What  wild,  strange  times  they  were ! 


THE  MISSIONARY  AND  THE  CANNIBALS 

BY  REGINALD  HORSLEY 

[New  Zealand  was  visited  by  the  navigators  Tasman  and 
Cook.  The  island  is  one  of  the  British  colonial  possessions, 
and  in  1907  it  took  the  name  of  the  Dominion  of  New  Zealand. 

The  Editor.] 

The  taste  which  the  Maori  had  acquired  for  wandering 
outside  their  own  country  at  length  brought  about  a 
remarkable  conjunction,  destined  to  bear  most  impor- 
tantly upon  the  future  of  New  Zealand.  It  was  nothing 
else  than  the  formation  of  a  friendship  between  a  Chris- 
tian Englishman  of  singular  nobility  of  character  and 
a  Maori  of  sanguinary  disposition,  a  warrior  notable 
among  a  race  of  warriors  and,  withal,  a  cannibal  of  can- 
nibals. 

In  the  first  decade  of  the  years  when  George  III  was 
king,  there  was  born  in  Yorkshire  a  boy  who  was  brought 
up  as  a  blacksmith.  For  some  time  he  followed  his  trade ; 
but,  having  a  strong  inclination  towards  a  missionary 
life,  he  was  ordained  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, and  in  due  time  found  himself  senior  chaplain  of 
the  colony  of  New  South  Wales.  This  man,  whose  name 
must  ever  be  honored  in  the  history  of  New  Zealand, 
was  Samuel  Marsden,  who  was  the  first  to  desire  to 
bring,  and  who  did  actually  bring,  the  tidings  of  the 
Gospel  to  the  land  of  the  Maori. 

There  were  missionaries  at  work  in  Tahiti,  in  the  Mar- 
quesas, and  in  Tonga;  but  New  Zealand,  the  land  of  the 

494 


THE   MISSIONARY  AND  THE   CANNIBALS 

ferocious  warrior  and  savage  cannibal,  had  been  es- 
teemed an  impossible  country,  or  at  all  events,  as  not 
yet  prepared  for  the  sowing.    So  it  was  left  to  itself. 

Then  came  a  day  when  Samuel  Marsden,  walking 
through  the  narrow  streets  of  Sydney,  stopped  to  gaze 
at  a  novel  sight.  Not  far  from  him  stalked  proudly  three 
splendid-looking  men,  types  of  a  race  with  which  he  was 
imfamiliar.  They  were  not  AustraUan  aboriginals.  That 
was  instantly  evident.  Their  faces  were  strangely 
scarred,  their  heads,  held  high,  were  plumed  with  rare 
feathers,  and  the  outer  garment  they  wore,  of  some  soft 
bu£E  material,  suggested  the  Roman  toga.  There  was, 
indeed,  something  Roman  about  their  appearance,  with 
their  fine  features,  strong  noses,  and  sternly  compressed 
lips. 

Mr.  Marsden  was  from  the  first  strongly  attracted 
to  these  men,  and  being  informed  that  they  were  New 
Zealand  chiefs,  come  on  a  visit  to  Sydney,  the  good  man 
grew  sad.  That  such  noble-looking  men  should  be 
heathen  and  cannibals  inexpressibly  shocked  him,  and 
he  determined  then  and  there  that  what  one  of  God's 
servants  might  do  for  the  salvation  of  that  proud, 
intellectual  race,  that,  by  the  grace  of  God,  he  would 
do. 

A  man  so  deeply  religious  as  Samuel  Marsden  was  not 
likely  to  waste  time  over  a  matter  in  his  judgment  so 
supremely  important.  The  chiefs  readily  admitted  the 
anarchy  induced  by  the  constant  friction  between  brown 
men  and  white,  though  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that 
they  should  realize  at  once  their  own  spiritual  darkness. 
Mr.  Marsden  was  not  discouraged,  and  set  in  train  a 
scheme  whereby  a  number  of  missionaries  were  to  be 

495 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

sent  out  immediately  by  the  Church  Missionary  Society, 
to  attempt  the  conversion  of  the  Maori  to  Christianity. 

Twenty-five  of  these  reached  Sydney,  where  men's 
ears  were  tingling  with  the  awful  details  of  the  massacre 
of  the  Boyd,  and  judged  the  risk  too  great.  So  they 
stayed  where  they  were,  and  the  conversion  of  New 
Zealand  was  delayed  for  a  season. 

The  residence  of  meek  and  peaceable  men  among  such 
intractable  savages  was  deemed  to  be  outside  the  bounds 
of  possibility;  but  Marsden  firmly  believed  that  the  way 
would  be  opened  in  God's  good  time,  and  waited  and 
watched  and  prayed,  possessing  his  soul  in  patience. 
The  opportunity  which  he  so  confidently  expected  ar- 
rived in  1814. 

Some  ten  years  after  the  birth  of  Samuel  Marsden 
another  boy  was  born  on  the  other  side  of  the  world. 
Hongi  Ika  was  his  name,  a  chief  and  a  chief's  son  of  the 
great  tribe  of  the  Nga-Puhi  in  the  north.  Marsden  had 
swung  his  hammer  over  the  glowing  iron  and  beaten  out 
horseshoes  and  plough-shares.  Hongi,  too,  swung  his 
hammer;  but  it  was  the  Hammer  of  Thor.  And  every 
time  that  Hongi's  hammer  fell,  it  beat  out  brains  and 
broke  men's  bones,  until  none  could  be  found  to  stand 
against  him.  Yet  Hongi  had  a  hard  knock  or  two  now 
and  then,  and,  being  as  yet  untraveled,  gladly  assented 
when  his  friend  Ruatara  —  who  had  seen  King  George 
of  England  —  suggested  a  visit  to  Sydney. 

Hongi  found  plenty  to  interest  him,  and  also  took  a 
philosopher's  delight  in  arguing  the  great  questions  of 
religion  with  Mr.  Marsden,  in  whose  house  he  and  Rua- 
tara abode.  Marsden  knew  the  man  for  what  he  was, 
a  warrior  and  a  cannibal;  but  so  tactful  and  persuasive 

496 


i 


THE   MISSIONARY  AND   THE   CANNIBALS 

was  he  that,  before  his  visit  ended,  Hongi  agreed  to 
allow  the  establishment  of  a  missionary  settlement  at 
the  Bay  of  Islands,  and  promised  it  his  protection. 

So  the  first  great  step  was  taken,  and  Marsden  planted 
his  vineyard.  He  was  a  wise  man  and,  knowing  by  re- 
port the  shortcomings  of  the  land  he  desired  to  chris- 
tianize, took  with  him  a  good  supply  of  animal  food,  and 
provision  for  future  needs  as  well,  in  the  shape  of  sheep 
and  oxen.  With  a  view  to  the  requirements  of  his  lieu- 
tenants, he  also  introduced  a  horse  or  two. 

What  impression  the  sight  of  a  man  on  horseback 
made  upon  the  Maori  may  be  gathered  from  the  ex- 
perience of  Mr,  Edward  W^akefield  twenty-seven  years 
later  at  Whanganui,  In  this  district,  which  is  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  island  to  that  on  which  Mr.  INIars- 
den  landed,  and  considerably  farther  south,  the  natives 
had  never  seen  a  horse.  Result  —  "They  fled,"  writes 
Mr,  Wakefield,  "in  all  directions,  and,  as  I  galloped 
past  those  who  were  running,  they  fairly  lay  down  on 
their  faces  and  gave  themselves  up  for  lost,  I  dis- 
mounted, and  they  plucked  up  courage  to  come  and 
take  a  look  at  the  kuri  nui,  or  'large  dog,'  'Can  he 
talk?'  said  one,  'Does  he  like  boiled  potatoes?'  said 
another.  And  a  third,  'Must  n't  he  have  a  blanket  to 
lie  down  on  at  night?'  This  unbounded  respect  and 
adoration  lasted  all  the  time  that  I  remained.  A  dozen 
hands  were  always  offering  him  Indian  corn  (maize) 
and  grass,  and  sow-thistles,  when  they  learned  what  he 
really  did  eat;  and  a  wooden  bowl  of  water  was  kept 
constantly  replenished  close  to  him;  and  little  knots  of 
curious  observers  sat  round  the  circle  of  his  tether  rope, 
remarking  and  conjecturing  and   disputing  about  the 

497 


ISLANDS   OF  THE   PACIFIC 

meaning  and  intention  of  every  whisk  of  his  tail  or  shake 
of  his  ears." 

It  was  for  long  all  endeavor  and  little  result.  But 
other  missionaries  arrived,  new  stations  were  erected 
in  various  parts  of  the  north,  and  the  Wesleyans,  seven 
years  later,  imitated  the  example  of  the  Church  Mission- 
ary Society,  and  sent  their  contingent  to  the  front. 

To  the  fighting  line  these  went,  indeed;  for  they  settled 
at  Whangaroa,  where  the  sunken  hull  of  the  Boyd  re- 
called the  horror  of  twelve  years  before.  Tarra  himself 
was  still  there,  the  memory  of  his  stripes  as  green  as 
though  he  had  but  yesterday  endured  the  poignant  suf- 
fering. He  rendered  vain  for  five  long  years  the  efforts 
of  the  missionaries,  and  from  his  very  deathbed  cursed 
them,  urging  his  tribe  to  drive  them  out;  so  that  they 
fled,  thankful  to  escape  with  their  lives  —  for  they 
saved  nought  else. 

If  Mr.  Marsden  hoped  to  turn  the  philosopher- warrior- 
cannibal  from  the  error  of  his  ways,  the  good  man  must 
have  been  grievously  disappointed.  Hongi  remained  a 
pagan;  but  he  never  broke  his  promise  to  the  mission- 
ary. He  was  a  terrible  fellow,  but  he  was  not  a  liar.  His 
word  was  sacred,  and  he  regretted  on  his  death-bed 
that  the  men  of  Whangaroa  had  been  too  strong  for  him 
when  they  drove  the  Wesleyan  missionaries  from  their 
station. 

Leaving  Mr.  Marsden  and  his  colleagues  at  Rangi- 
houa,  Hongi  returned  to  his  trade  of  war,  and  for  five 
years  or  so  enjoyed  himself  in  his  own  way.  Then,  tiring 
again  of  strife,  his  thoughts  turned  once  more  upon  for-  . 

eign  travel.     This  time  his  ambition  soared  high,  and  ij 

with  a  fellow-chief  he  sailed  for  London  under  the  wing 

498 


IHE   MISSIONARY  AND   THE   CANNIBALS 

of  a  missionary.  He  was  exceedingly  well  received, 
for  the  horror  and  fright  with  which  the  New  Zealanders 
had  been  regarded  was  greatly  diminished  in  182 1,  and 
Britons  were  again  looking  longingly  towards  a  country 
so  rich  in  commercial  possibiUties.  So  Hongi  found  him- 
self a  "lion,"  and  with  the  adaptabiHty  of  his  race  so 
comported  himself  that  it  occurred  to  few  to  identify 
the  bright-eyed  Httle  fellow  with  the  ample  forehead 
and  keen  brain  with  the  lusty  warrior  and  ferocious  can- 
nibal of  whom  startling  tales  had  been  told. 

Even  His  Majesty,  George  IV,  did  not  disdain  to 
receive  the  "Napoleon  of  New  Zealand,"  and  being, 
perhaps,  in  a  prophetic  mood,  presented  the  great  little 
man  with  a  suit  of  armor.  Hongi  would  have  preferred 
a  present  of  the  offensive  kind  in  the  shape  of  guns  and 
ammunition,  for  the  Nga-Puhi  had  early  gauged  the 
value  of  such  weapons  in  settling  tribal  disputes,  and 
had  managed  to  acquire  a  few,  though  not  nearly  enough 
to  meet  the  views  of  Hongi  Ika. 

The  king  had  set  the  fashion,  and  his  subjects  followed 
suit  so  lavishly  that,  if  Hongi  had  chosen  to  lay  aside 
his  dignity  and  open  a  curio-shop,  he  could  have  done 
so.  The  little  man  was  overjoyed.  He  was  rich  now,  and 
he  gloated  over  his  presents  as  a  means  to  an  end.  What 
a  war  he  could  wage,  if  he  could  only  find  a  pretext! 
Pretexts  did  not,  as  a  rule,  trouble  Hongi;  but  the  eyes 
of  the  great  were  upon  him,  and  it  would  be  just  as  well 
to  consider  appearances.  As  he  recrossed  the  ocean,  his 
active  brain  was  at  work,  planning.  Ah,  if  he  could  but 
find  a  pretext! 

Hongi  had  been  absent  for  two  years,  and  with  right 
good  will  the  tribes  of  the  northeast  wished  that  he 

499 


ISLANDS   OF  THE   PACIFIC 

might  never  return.  However,  with  the  dominant  per- 
sonality of  the  little  man  lacking  to  the  aU-conquering 
Nga-Puhi,  there  was  no  knowing  what  might  happen; 
so  the  tribes  around  about  the  Thames  River,  whose 
frith  is  that  thing  of  beauty,  the  Hauraki  Gulf,  took 
heart  of  grace,  marched  to  the  fight,  and  slew,  among 
other  folk,  no  less  a  person  than  Hongi's  son-in-law. 

Here  was,  indeed,  a  pretext.  Hongi  clung  to  it  as  a 
dog  to  his  bone.  In  Sydney  he  had  melted  down,  so  to 
speak,  his  great  pile  of  presents  into  three  hundred  stand 
of  arms,  which  included  a  goodly  share  of  the  coveted 
tupara,  or  double-barreled  guns.  Ammunition  was 
added,  and  thus,  with  a  very  arsenal  at  his  command, 
Hongi  Ika  came  again  to  his  native  land. 

He  came  armed  cap-d-pie;  for  he  wore  the  armor 
which  the  king  had  given  him  —  and  the  good  mihonari 
stood  aghast  at  sight  of  him.  "Even  now  the  tribes  are 
fighting,"  they  groaned.  "When  is  this  bitter  strife  to 
cease?" 

Pretext,  indeed!  To  avenge  his  son-in-law  was  all 
very  well.  Utu  should  be  exacted  to  the  full.  But  here 
was  a  pretext  beyond  all  others,  and  the  wily  Hongi 
instantly  seized  upon  it. 

"Fighting,  are  they?"  He  grinned  as  only  a  Maori 
can  grin.  "I  will  stop  these  dogs  in  their  worrying. 
They  shall  have  their  fill  of  fighting."  He  grinned  again. 
"That  will  be  the  surest  way,  my  mihonari  friends.  I 
will  keep  them  fighting  until  they  have  no  more  stom- 
ach for  it,  and  so  shall  there  be  an  end."  He  muttered 
imder  his  breath,  "Because  their  tribes  shall  be  even 
as  the  moa."  As  the  moa  was  extinct,  the  significance 
of  the  addition  should  be  sufficiently  clear. 

Soo 


THE   MISSIONARY  AND   THE   CANNIBALS 

Hongi  kept  his  word  —  he  always  did  that  —  and 
sailed  for  the  front  in  the  proudest  of  his  fleet  of  war- 
canoes,  with  a  thousand  warriors  behind  him,  armed 
with  mere  and  patu  and  spear,  while  in  his  van  went  a 
garde-de-corps  of  three  hundred  picked  men,  fondling 
—  so  pleased  were  they  —  the  three  hundred  muskets 
and  tupara  for  which  their  chief's  presents  had  been 
exchanged.  Southward,  through  the  Hauraki  Gulf,  he 
sails  into  the  estuary  of  the  Thames,  into  the  Thames  it- 
self. One  halt,  and  the  Totara  pa  is  demolished,  and  with 
five  hundred  of  its  defenders  dead  in  his  rear  Hongi 
sweeps  on,  southward  still,  to  Matakitaki.  Four  to  one 
against  him!  WTiat  care  Hongi  Ika  and  his  three  hun- 
dred musketeers?  It  is  the  same  story  —  fierce  attack 
and  sudden  victory,  ruthless  slaughter  of  twice  a  thou- 
sand foes,  and  Hongi,  grinning  in  triumph,  ever  keeps 
his  face  to  the  south  and  drives  his  enemies  before  him 
as  far  as  the  Lake  of  Rotorua. 

Hongi,  when  in  battle,  as  a  rule  shone  resplendent  in 

the  armor  which  George  IV  had  given  him,  and  which 

was  supposed  to  render  him  invulnerable.    The  belief 

received  justification  from  the  issue  of  Hongi's  last  fight 

at  Hokianga  in  1827.   For  some  reason  the  great  chief 

wore  only  his  helmet  upon  that  fatal  day. 

"Ill  fared  it  then  with  Roderick  Dhu 
When  on  the  field  his  targe  he  threw." 

Ill  fared  it  with  Hongi  when  he  rushed  into  the  fight 
without  his  shining  breastplate;  for  hardly  was  the 
battle  joined  when  a  bullet  passed  through  his  body, 
and  the  day  of  the  great  Hongi,  the  Lion  of  the  North, 
was  done. 
Fifteen  months  later,  as  he  lay  upon  his  death-mats 

SOI 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

at  Whangaroa,  feasting  his  glazing  eyes  upon  the  array 
of  clubs,  battle-axes,  muskets,  and  tupara  set  around 
the  bed,  he  called  to  him  his  relatives,  his  dearest  friends, 
and  his  fighting-chiefs,  and  spoke  to  them  this  word :  — 

"Children,  and  you  who  have  carried  my  arms  to 
victory,  this  is  my  word  to  you.  I  promised  long  ago  to 
be  kind  to  the  mihonari,  and  I  have  kept  my  promise. 
It  is  not  my  fault  if  they  have  not  been  well  treated  by 
others.  Do  as  I  have  done.  Let  them  dwell  in  peace; 
for  they  do  no  harm  and  some  good. 

"Hear  ye  this  word  also.  The  ends  of  the  world  draw 
together,  and  men  of  a  strong  race  come  ever  over  the 
sea  to  this  our  land.  Let  these  likewise  dwell  in  peace. 
Trade  with  them.  Give  them  your  daughters  in  mar- 
riage.  Good  shall  come  of  it. 

"But  if  there  come  over  the  sea  men  in  red  coats,  who 
neither  sow  nor  reap,  but  ever  carry  arms  in  their  hands, 
beware  of  them.  Their  trade  is  war,  and  they  are  paid 
to  kill.  Make  you  war  upon  them  and  drive  them  out. 
Otherwise  evil  will  come  of  it. 

"Children,  and  you,  my  old  comrades,  be  brave  and 
strong  in  your  coimtry's  cause.  Let  not  the  land  of 
your  ancestors  pass  into  the  hands  of  the  Pakeha  [white 
men].    Behold,  I  have  spoken." 

With  that,  the  mighty  chief  Hongi  drew  the  comer  of 
his  mat  across  his  face  and  passed  through  the  gates  to 
the  Waters  of  Reinga  [the  abode  of  the  shades]. 

("Two  and  twenty  years  from  that  Christmas-Day  when 
Samuel  Marsden  preached  his  first  sermon  in  a  land  where 
Christianity  was  not  even  a  name,  four  thousand  Maori 
converts  knelt  in  the  House  of  God." 

The  Editor.] 


HOT-WATER  BASINS,  NEW  ZEALAND 


HOT-WATER  BASINS,  NEW  ZEALAND 

The  scenery  of  some  parts  of  New  Zealand  is  wildly  beau- 
tiful. There  are  rugged  mountain  chains,  with  precipices 
and  deep  ravines;  there  are  volcanoes  and  hot  springs,  and 
snow-covered  summits ;  there  are  great  glaciers  coming  close 
down  to  the  shore,  and  long  reentrant  fiords. 

The  illustration  shows  the  famous  White  Terraces, 
before  their  destruction  by  a  neighboring  volcano  in  1886. 
"These  terraces  were  high,  wide  rippled  stairways  of  sinter, 
smooth  and  hard.  In  places  they  swelled  out  as  umbrella 
buttresses.  In  their  floors  were  warm  baths,  into  which 
tourists  and  resident  Maoris  delighted  to  plunge;  over  them 
hung  clouds  of  steam,  and  under  them  raged  a  heat  that  I 
found  still  strongly  evident." 

A  wild  bit  of  the  mountain  scenery  of  New  Zealand  has 
been  thus  described:  — 

"And  now  you  are  out  among  the  great  granite  boulders 
upon  the  river's  brink,  —  and  why!  what  is  this?  Up  the 
opposite  bank,  up  and  still  straight  up,  your  climbing  eye 
must  go,  following  the  perpendicular  bush  that  climbs  so 
sheer  and  suddenly  from  the  river-bed  up  to  a  height  of  near 
three  thousand  feet;  and  past  the  bush,  and  still  straight  up, 
to  the  belt  of  scant  gold  grass  and  the  bare  gray  crags  above ! 
and  up,  up,  up,  beyond  them  still,  with  your  head  bent  back 
and  your  senses  all  confounded,  to  the  glorious  blue  and 
white  of  a  giant  glacier,  and  pure  serrated  snows  upon  the 
sky.  You  are  looking  at  one  of  the  sides  of  the  river  valley. 
It  does  not  slope,  and  it  is  some  six  thousand  feet  in  height. 
The  other,  perhaps  one  half  a  mile  away,  is  equally  high 
and  just  as  sheer,  and  presently,  as  the  track  ascends  and 
the  trees  lessen,  frowning,  white-tipped  walls  begin  to  draw 
together,  the  valley  becomes  a  canyon,  and  you  realize  that 
you  are  walking  in  a  gigantic  furrow  of  the  earth,  —  some- 
thing like  the  Lauterbrunnen  Thai,  but  more  stupendous, 
and  very  much  more  beautiful." 


THE  STORY  OF  PITCAIRN    ISLAND 

[In  December,  1787,  a  ship  named  the  Bounty  sailed  from 
England  for  the  South  Seas.  Her  captain,  William  Bligh, 
proved  to  be  so  brutal  a  tyrant  that  the  mate,  Fletcher 
Christian,  and  others,  mutinied,  seized  the  ship,  and  set  the 
captain  and  eighteen  companions  adrift  in  an  open  boat,  pro- 
vided with  tools,  food,  and  some  few  instruments  of  naviga- 
tion. This  boat  finally  reached  Timor  Island,  and  the  men 
were  sent  to  England.  The  mutineers  made  their  way  to 
Tahiti,  but  fearing  that  an  English  man-of-war  would  be 
sent  in  pursuit  of  them,  they,  their  native  wives,  and  friends 
removed  to  a  lonely  island  of  which  they  had  heard,  called 
Pitcairn  Island. 

The  Editor] 

In  1808  the  whale-ship  Topaz,  of  Boston,  Captain 
Folger,  chanced  to  be  cruising  near  a  rocky  islet,  upon 
the  shore  of  which  the  surf  was  breaking  so  furiously 
that  it  seemed  inaccessible.  A  canoe  was  seen  putting 
off  through  the  breakers,  and  the  occupants  hailed  the 
ship,  offering  in  good  English  their  services  if  any  one 
wished  to  land.  One  of  the  sailors  volunteered  to  go 
ashore  in  the  canoe.  He  soon  came  back  with  a  strange 
report.  The  first  man  whom  he  met  on  the  island  said 
his  name  was  Alexander  Smith,  and  that  he  was  the  sole 
survivor  of  the  crew  of  the  Bounty :  that  including  him- 
self there  were  now  thirty-five  persons  on  the  island. 
Captain  Folger  then  went  ashore,  received  some  further 
information,  and  in  return  told  the  islanders  something 
of  what  had  happened  in  the  world  for  the  last  score  of 
years;  how  there  had  been  a  revolution  in  France;  how 

503 


ISLANDS  OF  THE  PACIFIC 

there  was  a  man  named  Bonaparte  who  had  become 
emperor;  how  there  had  been  great  wars;  and  England 
had  won  glorious  victories  on  the  sea.  Upon  hearing 
this,  the  islanders  broke  into  a  loud  hurrah,  exclaiming, 
"Old  England  forever!" 

Captain  Folger  returned  to  his  ship,  made  a  note  in  his 
log-book,  and  upon  reaching  Valparaiso  furnished  an 
account  of  what  he  had  seen,  which  was  duly  forwarded 
to  England.  But  just  then  the  British  Government  had 
matters  of  more  importance  on  hand  than  to  attend  to 
the  case  of  a  few  people  on  a  lonely  island  upon  the 
other  side  of  the  globe.  So  the  curtain  which  had  been 
lifted  for  a  moment  fell  again  for  another  six  years, 
when  it  was  raised  by  accident. 

In  1814  the  frigates  Briton,  Captain  Staines,  and 
Tagus,  Captain  Pipon,  were  cruising  in  the  Pacific  in 
search  of  the  American  sloop-of-war  Essex,  which  had 
captured  several  British  whalers.  As  evening  fell,  they 
suddenly  came  in  sight  of  a  small  but  lofty  island,  two 
hundred  miles  from  where,  according  to  their  charts, 
any  island  ought  to  have  been.  They  looked  at  their 
charts;  no  island  was  there.  They  looked  to  sea, 
and  there  the  island  certainly  was,  rising  sheer  up  a 
thousand  feet  from  the  water's  edge.  Morning  broke, 
and  there  still  stood  the  island,  and  groups  of  people 
were  standing  on  the  rocks.  Presently  two  men  were 
seen  launching  a  canoe,  into  which  they  sprang  and 
paddled  to  the  ships.  "Won't  you  heave  us  a  rope  now?  " 
was  the  cheery  hail.  This  was  done,  and  a  tall  young 
man  of  five-and- twenty  sprang  on  board.  "Who  are 
you?"  was  the  question.  "I  am  Thursday  October 
Christian,  son  of  Fletcher  Christian,  the  mutineer,  by  a 

504 


THE   STORY  OF   PITCAIRN  ISLAND 

Tahitan  mother,  and  the  first-born  on  this  island."  The 
other,  a  young  man  of  eighteen,  was  Edward  Young, 
son  of  another  of  the  mutineers  of  whom  we  have 
spoken. 

The  young  men  were  full  of  wonder  at  what  they  saw. 
A  cow  astonished  and  perhaps  frightened  them  a  little. 
Goats  and  pigs  were  the  only  animals  they  had  ever 
seen.  A  little  dog  pleased  them  greatly.  "I  know  that's 
a  dog,"  said  Edward;  "I  have  read  of  such  things." 
Captain  Staines  ordered  refreshments  to  be  prepared 
for  them  in  his  cabin.  Before  sitting  down,  they  folded 
their  hands  and  asked  a  blessing,  which  they  repeated 
at  the  close  of  the  meal.  They  had  been  taught  to  do 
this,  they  said,  by  their  pastor,  John  Adams;  for  it 
appears  that  Alexander  Smith  went  also  by  this  name, 
which  we  shall  hereafter  give  him. 

The  two  captains  went  on  shore,  and  climbed  the 
steep  ascent  to  the  village,  where  the  whole  community, 
headed  by  John  Adams  and  his  blind  wife,  were  waiting 
to  receive  them.  He  was  something  past  fifty,  stout 
and  healthy  in  appearance,  though  with  a  careworn 
expression  of  countenance.  He  stood,  hat  in  hand, 
smoothing  his  gray  locks,  as  he  had  been  wont,  sailor 
fashion,  to  do  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  when  address- 
ing his  ofiicers.  On  being  assured  that  no  harm  should 
happen  to  him,  he  told  the  story  of  what  had  occurred 
since  the  Bounty  disappeared. 

The  narrative  runs  thus :  —  For  two  months  the 
Bounty  cruised  about  in  search  of  Pitcairn  Island.  When 
at  last  they  discovered  it,  the  vessel  was  dismantled, 
every  movable  article,  even  to  the  planks  from  her 
sides,  taken  ashore ;  fire  was  then  set  to  the  hull,  and  the 

505 


ISLANDS   OF  THE   PACIFIC 

charred  remains  sunk  in  twenty-five  fathoms  of  water. 
The  arable  part  of  the  island  was  then  divided  into  equal 
shares  among  the  nine  whites,  the  Tahitans  being  evi- 
dently considered  almost  as  slaves.  Christian  himself, 
apprehending  that  he  would  be  followed  even  to  his 
lonely  retreat,  found  a  cave  far  up  the  mountain-side, 
where  he  kept  a  stock  of  provisions,  and  spent  much  of 
his  time  gazing  over  the  waste  of  waters,  watching  for 
the  dreaded  appearance  of  a  sail,  and  reading  a  Bible 
and  Prayer-Book. 

For  two  or  three  years  everything  went  on  prosper- 
ously. Then  the  wife  of  Williams  was  killed  by  falling 
over  the  rocks.  He  undertook  to  take  the  wife  of  one 
of  the  Tahitans,  whose  comrades  formed  a  plot  to  mur- 
der all  the  Englishmen.  The  plot  was  discovered  and 
revealed  by  the  wives  of  the  whites.  Two  of  the  Tahi- 
tans fled  to  the  mountains,  where  they  were  killed  by 
the  others,  to  whom  pardon  had  been  offered  if  they 
would  do  so.  Meantime,  two  of  the  men,  Quintal  and 
McKoy,  had  succeeded  in  distilling  alcohol  from  a  root, 
were  constantly  drunk,  and  abusive  toward  the  natives, 
who  again  determined  to  murder  all  the  whites.  Five  — 
Christian,  Mills,  WilHams,  Martin,  and  Brown  —  were 
killed  on  the  spot;  Smith  fled,  severely  wounded,  down 
the  rocks,  but  the  Tahitans  promised  to  spare  his  life 
if  he  would  return;  Young  was  hidden  by  the  women, 
with  whom  he  was  a  favorite;  Quintal  and  McKoy  fled 
to  the  mountains,  where  they  remained  until  summoned 
back,  peace  having  apparently  been  restored.  But  the 
whites  felt  that  their  only  security  lay  in  the  death  of  the 
natives ;  they  fell  upon  them  by  surprise  and  killed  them 
all.   Soon,  however,  McKoy  while  drunk  fell  over  the 

506 


THE   STORY  OF  PITCAIRN   ISLAND 

rocks,  and  Quintal  became  so  outrageous  that  Adams 
and  Young  killed  him  in  self-defense. 

These  two  were  the  sole  survivors  of  the  fifteen  men 
who  had  seven  years  before  landed  upon  the  island. 
How  and  when  occurred  the  great  change  which  took 
place  in  these  two  men  is  not  told.  All  that  is  told  is, 
that  they  sought  out  the  Bible  and  Prayer-Book  of 
Christian,  and  entered  upon  a  most  reHgious  Hfe. 
Young  died  of  asthma  in  1800,  not,  however,  until  he 
had  instructed  Adams,  who  could  barely  read,  and  not 
write;  and  he,  the  sole  man  on  the  island,  became  the 
guardian  and  instructor  of  a  community  of  more  than 
a  score  of  women  and  young  children.  As  the  children 
grew  up,  they  were  married  by  Adams,  according  to 
the  form  laid  down  in  the  Prayer-Book;  the  ring,  used 
for  all,  having  been  made  by  him.  The  son  of  Christian 
took  for  wife  the  widow  of  Edward  Young,  a  woman 
quite  old  enough  to  be  his  mother,  and  so  became  step- 
father to  the  tall  yoimg  man,  almost  of  his  own  age, 
who  accompanied  him  on  his  visit  to  the  British  ship. 

If  the  islanders  were  astonished  at  the  visitors,  the 
latter  were  no  less  amazed  at  the  aspect  of  this  Httle 
community.  The  island,  apparently  about  a  dozen 
miles  in  circuit,  rose  to  the  height  of  a  thousand  feet, 
the  steep  cliffs  down  to  the  water's  edge  being  clothed 
with  palm,  banyan,  cocoanut,  and  bread-fruit  trees, 
while  in  the  valleys  were  plantations  of  taro-root,  yams, 
and  sweet  potatoes.  The  village,  which  consisted  of  five 
houses,  that  being  the  number  of  families,  was  situated 
on  a  level  platform  high  above  the  ocean,  shaded  with 
broad-leaved  bananas  and  plantains.  The  houses  were 
of  wood,  two  stories  in  height,  each  having  its  pig-pen, 

507 


ISLANDS   OF  THE   PACIFIC 

poultry-house,  bakery,  and  another  for  the  manufacture 
of  lappa,  the  substitute  for  cloth,  a  kind  of  paper  made 
by  pounding  together  layers  of  the  inner  bark  of  trees. 
The  population  now  numbered  forty-six.  The  young 
men,  all  born  on  the  island,  were  finely  formed,  tall,  the 
average  height  being  five  feet  ten  inches,  some  of  them 
exceeding  six  feet.  The  young  women  were  also  tall; 
one,  not  the  tallest,  was  five  feet  ten  inches.  All  had 
white  teeth  and  profuse  black  hair,  neatly  dressed,  and 
ornamented  with  wreaths  of  flowers.  Their  features 
were  of  a  decidedly  European  cast,  the  complexion  being 
a  clear  brunette.  Their  dress  consisted  of  a  loose  bodice 
reaching  from  waist  to  knees,  with  a  sort  of  mantle 
thrown  over  the  shoulder  and  reaching  to  the  ankles, 
which  was  thrown  aside  when  at  work.  Their  feet  were 
bare.  The  young  people  were  then  mostly  unmarried, 
for  Adams  discouraged  very  early  marriages,  as  the  girls 
would  then  necessarily  be  occupied  with  the  care  of 
their  children;  and  he  also  inculcated  upon  the  young 
men  the  necessity  of  having  made  some  provision  for 
a  family  before  entering  into  any  matrimonial  engage- 
ment. The  older  women  were  mainly  occupied  in  mak- 
ing lappa;  the  younger  worked  in  the  fields  with  their 
fathers  and  brothers.  Their  strength  and  agiHty  aston- 
ished their  visitors.  "One  of  them,"  says  Captain 
Pipon,  "accompanied  us  to  the  boat,  carrying  on  her 
shoulders,  as  a  present,  a  large  basket  of  yams,  over 
such  roads  and  precipices  as  were  scarcely  passable  by 
any  creatures  except  goats,  and  over  which  we  could 
scarcely  scramble  with  the  help  of  our  hands.  Yet  with 
this  load  on  her  shoulders  she  skipped  from  rock  to  rock 
like  a  young  roe." 

So8 


THE  STORY  OF   PITCAIRN   ISLAND 

[In  1856  the  whole  people  removed  from  Pitcairn  to 
Norfolk,  a  much  larger  and  pleasanter  island.  Their  love 
for  their  first  home  was  strong,  however,  and  at  length  a 
nimiber  of  famiUes  returned.  In  1890  they  celebrated  the 
one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  arrival  of  the  Bounty  at 
Pitcairn. 

The  Editor.] 


THE  LAST  VOYAGE  OF  CAPTAIN  COOK 

BY  CHARLES   C.   B.    SEYMOUR 

[The  Hawaiian,  formerly  known  as  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
were  discovered  by  Captain  Cook  in  1778,  and  there  the 
great  navigator  met  his  death.  In  1820,  American  mission- 
aries went  to  the  islands,  and  in  twenty  years  the  speech 
of  the  natives  had  been  reduced  to  writing,  schools  and 
courts  of  justice  had  been  organized,  and  the  irresponsible 
rule  of  the  king  had  been  limited  by  a  constitution.  In  1893, 
the  attempts  of  Queen  LiUuokalani  to  claim  more  authority 
than  was  granted  by  the  old  constitution  resulted  in  her 
deposition,  and  in  1894  a  repubUc  was  estabHshed.  In  1898, 
the  islands  were,  at  their  own  request,  annexed  to  the 
United  States,  and  two  years  later  they  became  a  Territory 
of  that  country. 

The  Editor.] 

Cook's  third  and  last  voyage  was  undertaken  for  the 
purpose  of  discovering  a  supposed  northwest  passage 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Numerous  ex- 
peditions had  been  sent  out  for  this  purpose  at  various 
times,  but  they  had  all  failed.  It  was  resolved  by  the 
Admiralty  to  make  one  other  trial,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  successful  navigator.  Accordingly,  on  the  loth  of 
February,  1776,  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  in  his 
old  and  trusty  ship,  the  Resolution,  and  Captain  Clerke, 
in  the  Discovery,  was  ordered  to  accompany  him. 
Cook's  instructions  were  to  proceed  direct  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  and  thence  to  try  the  passage  by  way  of 
Behring's  Straits;  and  as  it  was  necessary  that  the 
islands  in  the  Southern  Ocean  should  be  revisited,  cattle 


THE  LAST  VOYAGE  OF  CAPTAIN  COOK 

and  sheep,  with  other  animals,  and  all  kinds  of  seeds, 
were  shipped  for  the  advantage  of  the  inhabitants. 

The  Resolution  sailed  on  the  12th  of  July,  1776  (the 
Discovery  was  to  follow),  having  on  board  a  native  of 
the  Sandwich  Islands  to  act  as  interpreter.  Nothing  of 
importance  occurred  on  the  outward  voyage,  and  on  the 
12th  of  February,  1777,  Cook  arrived  at  Queen  Char- 
lotte's Sound,  New  Zealand,  where  he  anchored.  He 
found  the  natives  suspiciously  shy,  and  no  amount  of 
persuasion  could  induce  them  to  venture  on  board. 
They  had  reason  for  their  uneasiness.  On  the  last  voy- 
age, the  Adventure  had  visited  this  place,  and  ten  of  her 
crew  had  been  killed  in  an  unpremeditated  skirmish. 
They  apprehended  chastisement,  and  thought  it  best  to 
be  on  the  alert.  It  was  not  convenient  for  Cook  to  add 
to  any  ill-feeling  that  might  exist,  so  he  said  nothing 
about  the  massacre,  blit  tried  to  conciliate.  From  the 
Sound  the  ship  proceeded  to  some  of  the  South  Sea 
Islands,  where  they  obtained  a  plentiful  supply  of  pro- 
visions, but  were  greatly  annoyed  by  the  thievish  pro- 
pensities of  the  natives.  To  check  this.  Cook  hit  upon  a 
new  device.  He  seized  the  culprit  and  shaved  his  head, 
thus  making  him  an  object  of  ridicule  to  his  countrymen, 
and  enabling  the  Enghsh  to  keep  their  eyes  on  him.  At 
Tongataboo  generous  hospitality  was  shown  to  them, 
and  the  king  invited  Cook  to  reside  with  him  in  his 
house.  Here  he  made  a  distribution  of  animals  among 
the  chiefs,  explaining  their  uses,  and  how  to  preserve 
them.  A  horse  and  mare,  a  bull  and  cow,  several  sheep 
and  turkeys  were  thus  given  away.  But,  in  spite  of  this 
kindly  reciprocity,  thieving  still  went  on.  Cook  became 
incensed,  and  determined  that  he  would  put  a  stop  to  it 

5" 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

at  any  risk.  Two  kids  and  two  turkey-cocks  were  ab- 
stracted from  the  stores.  The  captain  seized  three 
canoes,  put  a  guard  over  the  chiefs,  and  insisted  that 
not  only  the  kids  and  turkeys  should  be  restored,  but 
also  everything  that  had  been  taken  away  since  their 
arrival.  Much  of  the  plunder  was  returned.  But  the 
chiefs,  who  were  friendly,  probably  felt  themselves 
insulted. 

After  remaining  nearly  three  months  in  these  hospit- 
able but  unprincipled  regions,  Cook  took  his  departure 
for  Otaheite,  and  thence  for  Matavai  Bay,  where  he 
presented  King  Otoo  with  the  remainder  of  his  live 
stock,  among  which  were  a  horse  and  mare.  To  show  the 
natives  the  use  of  the  latter  animals.  Captains  Cook 
and  Clerke  rode  about  the  island  on  horseback,  much 
to  the  astonishment  of  the  simple  people.  More  civil- 
ized people  have  sometimes  been  astonished  when  they 
saw,  for  the  first  time,  Mr.  Jack  Tar  astride  a  horse. 
The  wonder  of  the  natives  never  abated.  At  Huaheine 
a  thief  occasioned  the  voyagers  much  trouble.  He  was  a 
determined  rascal,  and  shaving  his  head  and  beard,  and 
cutting  off  his  ears,  had  no  moral  effect  on  him.  He  per- 
sisted in  his  evil  ways,  and  defied  public  opinion.  At 
Ulictea  several  desertions  took  place,  the  deserters 
being  sheltered  by  the  Indians.  Both  Captain  Clerke 
and  Captain  Cook  went  in  pursuit  of  the  fugitives,  but 
without  success.  The  latter,  therefore,  ordered  the 
chief's  son,  daughter,  and  son-in-law  to  be  seized,  and 
held  as  hostages  until  the  deserters  were  given  up.  The 
remedy  was  effectual,  and  in  a  few  days  an  exchange 
was  effected.  This  severe  policy  of  Cook  was  intended 
to  save  the  spilling  of  innocent  blood;  but  it  produced 

512 


THE  LAST  VOYAGE  OF  CAPTAIN  COOK 

much  indignation  among  the  savages,  who  felt  that  it 
was  an  outrage  to  seize  the  highest  persons  in  their  land 
for  every  trivial  offense.  Even  at  this  early  day  schemes 
were  afoot  to  assassinate  Cook  and  Clerke. 

On  the  2d  of  January  the  ships  resumed  their  voyage 
northward.  They  passed  several  islands,  the  inhabitants 
of  which,  though  at  an  immense  distance  from  Otaheite, 
spoke  the  same  language.  Those  who  came  on  board 
displayed  the  utmost  astonishment  at  everything  they 
saw,  and  it  was  evident  that  they  had  never  seen  a  ship 
before.  They  resembled  the  South  Sea  Islanders  in 
another  unpleasant  respect  —  they  were  passionately 
addicted  to  stealing.  To  a  group  of  these  islands 
Captain  Cook  gave  the  name  of  the  Sandwich  Islands. 
New  Albion  was  made  on  the  yth  of  March,  the  ships 
then  being  in  latitude  44°  33'  north,  and,  after  saihng 
along  it  till  the  29th,  they  came  to  anchor  in  a  small 
cove  lying  in  latitude  49°  29'  north.  A  brisk  trade 
commenced  with  the  natives,  who  appeared  to  be  well 
acquainted  with  the  value  of  iron,  and  were  eager  to  get 
it  in  exchange  for  skins,  etc.,  rough  and  manufactured 
into  garments.  But  the  most  extraordinary  articles 
which  they  offered  in  trade  were  human  skulls,  and 
hands  not  quite  stripped  of  the  flesh,  and  which  had  the 
appearance  of  having  been  recently  on  the  fire.  Thiev- 
ing was  practiced  in  a  dexterous  and  educated  manner, 
but  the  natives  were  strict  in  being  paid  for  everything 
they  suppHed  to  the  ships,  with  which  rule  Cook  was 
happy  to  comply.  This  inlet  was  called  King  George's 
Sound,  but  it  was  afterward  ascertained  that  the  natives 
called  it  Nootka  Sound,  by  which  name  it  is  more  com- 
monly known.    From  this   point  they  exercised  the 

S13 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

greatest  watchfulness,  hoping  to  find  an  outlet  into  the 
Atlantic  Ocean,  but,  as  every  one  knows,  without  suc- 
cess. Cook  was  able,  however,  to  ascertain  the  relative 
positions  of  the  two  continents,  Asia  and  America, 
whose  extremities  he  observed.  He  explored  the  coasts 
in  Behring's  Straits,  where  they  found  some  Russian 
traders.  The  ships  then  quitted  the  harbor  of  Samga- 
noodah,  and  sailed  for  the  Sandwich  Islands,  Captain 
Cook  intending  to  await  the  season  there,  and  then 
return  to  Kamtschatka.  In  latitude  20°  55'  they  dis- 
covered the  island  of  Mowee,  and  a  few  days  later  fell 
in  with  another,  which  the  natives  called  Owhyhee,  the 
extent  of  which  was  so  great  that  the  voyagers  were 
nearly  seven  weeks  sailing  round  it,  and  examining  the 
coast.  The  inhabitants  were  extremely  pleasant,  and 
appeared  to  be  entirely  free  from  suspicion.  Their 
canoes  flocked  around  the  ships  in  hundreds,  and  came 
well  laden,  too,  but  the  gentlemen  were  light-fingered, 
and  had  but  Httle  fear  of  gunpowder.  Captain  Cook  had 
an  interview  with  Terreeoboo,  king  of  the  islands,  in 
which  great  formality  was  observed  on  both  sides,  fol- 
lowed by  an  exchange  of  presents  and  an  exchange  of 
names.  The  natives  were  extremely  deferential  to  Cook, 
displaying  almost  an  amount  of  adoration.  A  society 
of  priests  (native)  furnished  the  ships  with  a  plentiful 
supply  of  hogs  and  vegetables,  without  requiring  any 
return.  On  the  day  previous  to  their  departure  the  king 
sent  them  an  immense  quantity  of  cloth,  many  boat- 
loads of  vegetables,  and  a  whole  herd  of  hogs.  The  ships 
then  sailed,  but  on  the  following  day  encountered  such 
a  severe  storm  that  they  had  to  put  back  in  order  to 
repair  damages.  They  anchored  at  the  old  spot,  and  for 

514 


THE  LAST  VOYAGE   OF  CAPTAIN  COOK 

a  time  things  went  on  pleasantly;  but  a  theft  took  place, 
and  the  seamen,  becoming  enraged  at  losing  every 
trifling  article  they  possessed,  had  an  affray  with  the 
natives.  It  was  not  a  trifling  article  in  this  instance, 
however,  being,  in  fact,  no  smaller  than  the  cutter  of  the 
ship  Discovery.  The  boats  of  both  vessels  were  immedi- 
ately sent  in  search  of  her,  and  Captain  Cook  went  on 
shore  to  arrange  matters  in  a  determined  spirit.  The 
robbery  was  of  the  most  audacious  kind,  and  certainly 
merited  punishment,  but  it  is  questionable  if  Cook's 
poHcy  (considering  the  kindness  he  had  so  lately 
experienced)  was  the  best  that  could  have  been  devised. 
Cook  left  the  Resolution  about  seven  o'clock,  attended 
by  the  lieutenant  of  marines,  a  sergeant,  a  corporal,  and 
seven  private  men.  The  pinnace's  crew  were  likewise 
armed,  and  under  the  command  of  Mr.  Roberts;  the 
launch  was  also  ordered  to  assist  his  own  boat.  On  land- 
ing there  was  not  the  slightest  symptom  of  hostility; 
crowds  gathered  around  the  Englishmen,  and  were 
kept  in  order  by  the  chiefs,  who  seemed  desirous  that 
everything  should  proceed  in  an  orderly  and  pleasant 
manner.  Captain  Cook  proceeded  to  the  king's  house, 
and  requested  that  he  would  go  on  board  the  Resolution, 
intending,  of  course,  to  keep  him  as  a  hostage.  The  king, 
individually,  offered  but  few  objections,  but  his  people, 
evidently  understood  the  maneuver,  and  quietly  com- 
menced arming  themselves  with  spears,  clubs,  and 
daggers,  and  protecting  themselves  with  the  thick  mats 
which  they  usually  donned  in  time  of  war  like  armor. 
While  affairs  were  in  this  state,  a  canoe  arrived  from 
the  opposite  side  of  the  bay,  and  announced  that  one  of 
the  native  chiefs  had  been  killed  by  a  shot  from  the 

515 


ISLANDS  OF  THE   PACIFIC 

Discovery's  boat.  Indignant  excitement  now  agitated 
the  crowd;  the  women  retired,  and  the  men  openly 
uttered  threats.  Cook,  perceiving  the  threatening  aspect 
that  things  had  assumed,  ordered  Lieutenant  Middleton 
to  march  his  marines  down  to  the  boats,  to  which  the 
islanders  offered  no  objection.  He  then  escorted  the 
king,  attended  by  his  wife,  two  sons,  and  several  chiefs. 
One  of  the  sons  had  already  entered  the  pinnace,  expect- 
ing his  father  to  follow,  when  the  king's  wife  entreated 
him  not  to  leave  the  shore,  or  he  would  be  put  to  death. 
Matters  were  now  hurrying  to  a  crisis.  A  chief  with  a 
dagger  concealed  imder  his  cloak  was  observed  watching 
Cook,  and  the  lieutenant  of  marines  wanted  to  fire  at 
him,  but  this  the  captain  would  not  permit.  The  chief 
gained  new  courage  by  this  hesitation,  and  closed  on 
them,  and  the  officer  struck  him  with  his  firelock.  An- 
other native  interfered,  and  grasped  the  sergeant's 
musket,  and  was  compelled  to  let  it  go  by  a  blow  from 
the  lieutenant.  Cook,  seeing  that  it  was  useless  to 
attempt  to  force  the  king  off,  was  about  to  give  orders 
to  reembark,  when  a  man  flimg  a  stone  at  him,  which  he 
returned  by  discharging  small  shot  from  the  barrels  of 
his  piece.  The  man,  being  scarcely  hurt,  brandished  his 
spear  as  if  about  to  hurl  it  at  the  captain,  who  at  once 
knocked  him  down,  but  refrained  from  using  ball.  He 
then  addressed  the  crowd,  and  endeavored  to  restore 
peace,  but  while  so  engaged  a  man  was  observed  behind 
a  double  canoe  in  the  act  of  darting  a  spear  at  the  cap- 
tain. Seeing  that  his  life  was  really  in  danger,  Cook 
fired,  but  killed  the  wrong  man.  The  sergeant  of  marines, 
however,  instantly  brought  down  the  offender  with  his 
musket.  For  a  moment  the  islanders  seemed  to  lose  some 

Si6 


THE  LAST  VOYAGE  OF  CAPTAIN  COOK 

of  their  impetuosity,  but  the  crowds  that  had  gathered 
behind  pressed  on  those  who  were  the  immediate  spec- 
tators of  what  had  occurred,  and,  what  was  even  more 
fatal,  poured  in  a  volley  of  stones.  The  marines,  without 
waiting  for  orders,  returned  the  compHment  with  a 
general  discharge  of  musketry,  which  was  directly  suc- 
ceeded by  a  brisk  fire  from  the  boats.  Cook  was  sur- 
prised and  vexed  at  this  accidental  turn  of  affairs,  and 
waved  his  hand  to  the  boats  to  desist,  and  come  on 
shore  to  embark  the  marines.  The  pinnace  unhesitat- 
ingly obeyed;  but  the  Heu tenant  in  the  laimch,  instead 
of  pulling  in  to  the  assistance  of  his  commander,  rowed 
farther  off,  at  the  very  moment  when  his  services  were 
most  required.  The  marines  crowded  into  the  pinnace 
with  precipitation  and  confusion,  and  were  so  jammed 
together  that  they  were  unable  to  protect  themselves. 
Those  who  were  on  shore  kept  up  the  fire,  but  the  mo- 
ment their  pieces  were  discharged  the  islanders  rushed 
upon  them,  and  forced  the  party  into  the  water,  where 
four  of  them  were  killed  and  the  Heu  tenant  wounded. 
When  this  occurred.  Cook  was  standing  alone  on  a  rock 
near  the  shore.  Seeing,  however,  that  it  was  now  clearly 
a  matter  of  escape,  he  hurried  toward  the  pinnace,  hold- 
ing his  left  arm  round  the  back  of  his  head  to  shield  it 
from  stones,  and  carrying  his  musket  in  his  right  hand. 
A  remarkably  agile  warrior,  a  relation  of  the  king's,  was 
seen  to  follow  him,  and,  before  his  object  could  be  frus- 
trated, sprang  forward  upon  the  captain,  and  struck 
him  a  heavy  blow  on  the  back  of  his  head,  and  then 
turned  and  fled.  Cook  staggered  a  few  paces,  dropped 
his  musket,  and  fell  on  his  hands  and  one  knee.  Before 
he  could  recover  himself,  another  islander  rushed  for- 

517 


ISLANDS   OF  THE   PACIFIC 

ward,  and  with  an  iron  dagger  stabbed  him  in  the  neck. 
He  sank  into  the  water,  and  was  immediately  set  upon 
by  a  number  of  savages,  who  tried  to  keep  him  down, 
but  he  succeeded  in  getting  his  head  up.  The  pinnace 
was  within  half  a  dozen  yards  of  him,  and  he  cast  an 
imploring  look  as  if  for  assistance.  The  islanders  forced 
him  down  again  in  a  deeper  place,  but  his  great  muscular 
strength  enabled  him  to  recover  himself,  and  cling  to  the 
rock.  He  was  not  there  for  more  than  a  moment,  when 
a  brutal  savage  dealt  him  a  heavy  blow  with  a  club,  and 
he  fell  down  lifeless.  The  Indians  then  hauled  his 
corpse  upon  the  rock,  and  ferociously  stabbed  it  all 
over,  handing  the  dagger  from  one  to  another,  in  order 
that  all  might  participate  in  the  sweet  revenge.  The 
body  was  left  some  time  upon  the  rock,  and  the  islanders 
gave  way,  as  though  afraid  of  the  act  they  had  com- 
mitted; but  there  was  no  attempt  to  recover  it  by  the 
ship's  crew,  and  it  was  subsequently  cut  up,  together 
with  the  bodies  of  the  marines,  and  the  parts  distributed 
among  the  chiefs.  The  mutilated  fragments  were  after- 
ward restored,  and  committed  to  the  deep,  with  all  the 
honors  due  to  the  rank  of  the  deceased.  Thus  inglori- 
ously  perished  one  of  England's  greatest  navigators, 
"whose  services  to  science  have  never  been  surpassed 
by  any  man  belonging  to  his  profession."  It  may  almost 
be  said,  says  Mr.  Robert  Chambers,  that  he  fell  a  victim 
to  his  humanity;  for  if,  instead  of  retreating  before  his 
barbarous  pursuers  with  a  view  to  spare  their  lives,  he 
had  turned  revengefully  upon  them,  his  fate  might  have 
been  very  different. 

The  command  of  the  Resolution  devolved  on  Cap- 
tain Clerke,  and  Mr.  Gore  acted  as  commander  of  the 

Si8 


THE  LAST  VOYAGE  OF  CAPTAIN  COOK 

Discovery.  After  making  some  further  explorations 
among  the  Sandwich  Islands,  the  vessels  visited  Kam- 
tschatkaand  Behring's  Straits.  There  it  was  found  im- 
possible to  accomplish  the  objects  of  the  expedition,  and 
it  returned  southward.  Another  misfortune  befell  the 
voyagers.  On  the  22d  of  August,  1779,  Captain  Clerke 
died  of  consumption.  The  ships  visited  Kamtschatka 
once  more,  and  then  returned  by  way  of  China,  arriving 
in  England  on  the  4th  of  October,  1780,  after  an  absence 
of  four  years,  two  months,  and  twenty-two  days. 

When  it  became  known  in  England  that  Captain  Cook 
had  perished,  all  classes  of  people  expressed  their  sym- 
pathy and  deep  sorrow.  The  king  granted  a  pension  of 
£200  per  annum  to  his  widow,  and  £25  per  annum  to 
each  of  her  children;  the  Royal  Society  had  a  gold 
medal  struck  in  commemoration  of  his  services,  and  at 
home  and  abroad  honors  were  scattered  on  his  memory. 
That  Cook  was  justly  entitled  to  these  testimonials  is 
beyond  a  doubt,  not  only  for  the  good  he  did  his  coun- 
try, but  for  his  own  individual  merit.  It  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  find  a  more  brilUant  instance  of  purely  self-made 
greatness.  Starting  in  life  under  circumstances  of  the 
most  depressing  nature,  he  succeeded  solely  by  the  force 
of  industry  in  acquiring  accomplishments  which  gave 
him  the  foremost  place  among  the  scientific  men  of  his 
age.  From  the  obscure  condition  of  a  foremast-man  on 
a  colHer  he  rose  to  be  the  greatest  discoverer  of  modern 
times.  A  recapitulation  of  what  he  accompHshed  may 
appropriately  close  this  sketch.  He  discovered  New 
Caledonia  and  Norfolk  Island,  New  Georgia,  and  the 
Sandwich  and  many  smaller  islands  in  the  Pacific;  sur- 
veyed the  Society  Islands,  the  Friendly  Islands,  and 

519 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

the  New  Hebrides;  determined  the  insularity  of  New 
Zealand;  circumnavigated  the  globe  in  a  high  southern 
latitude,  so  as  to  decide  that  no  continent  existed  north 
of  a  certain  parallel;  explored  the  then  unknown  eastern 
coasts  of  New  Holland  for  two  thousand  miles;  deter- 
mined the  proximity  of  Asia  to  America,  which  the  dis- 
coverer of  Behring's  Straits  did  not  perceive;  and, 
wherever  he  went,  brought  strange  people  into  com- 
munication with  the  civilized  world,  through  the  wide 
gates  of  commerce  and  mutual  interest. 

The  rock  where  Captain  Cook  fell  is  an  object  of 
curiosity  in  Hawaii  to  the  present  day.  The  natives 
point  it  out  with  sorrow,  and  show  the  stump  of  a  co- 
coanut  tree,  where  they  say  he  expired.  The  upper  part 
of  this  tree  has  been  carried  to  England,  and  is  preserved 
in  the  museum  of  Greenwich  Hospital.  On  the  remain- 
ing stump,  which  has  been  carefully  capped  with  copper, 
is  the  following  inscription:  — 

Near  this  spot 

fell 

CAPTAIN  JAMES  COOK,   R.N. 

the 

renowned  circumnavigator 

who 

discovered  these  islands 

A.D.  1778. 


THE   VENGEANCE   OF   THE   GODDESS   PELE 

A   HAWAHAN   LEGEND   RELATED    BY   KALAKAUA,  FORM- 
ERLY  KENG   OF  THE   HAWAHAN   ISLANDS 

[Pele  was  the  goddess  who  dwelt  in  the  awful  fires  of  the 
volcano  Kilauea.  She  was  so  easily  offended  and  so  terrible 
in  her  anger  that  the  people  who  lived  in  volcanic  districts 
built  temples  in  her  honor  and  sacrificed  fruit,  animals,  and 
sometimes  human  beings,  in  order  to  win  her  favor  or  to  free 
themselves  from  the  fearful  consequences  of  her  wrath. 

The  Editor.] 

The  grass-thatched  mansion  of  the  young  chief  Kaha- 
vari  was  near  Kapoho,  where  his  wife  lived  with  their 
two  children,  Pampoulu  and  Kaohe;  and  at  Kukii,  no 
great  distance  away,  dwelt  his  old  mother,  then  on  a 
visit  to  her  distinguished  son.  As  his  taro  lands  were  large 
and  fertile  and  he  had  fish-ponds  on  the  seashore,  he 
entertained  with  prodigality,  and  the  people  of  Puna 
thought  there  was  no  chief  like  him  in  all  Hawaii. 

It  was  at  the  time  of  the  monthly  festival  of  Lono. 
The  day  was  beautiful.  The  trade- winds  were  bending 
the  leaves  of  the  palms  and  scattering  the  spray  from 
the  breakers  chasing  each  other  over  the  reef.  A  holua 
contest  had  been  announced  between  the  stalwart 
young  chief  and  his  favorite  friend  and  companion, 
Ahua,  and  a  large  concourse  of  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren had  assembled  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  to  witness  the 
exciting  pastime.  They  brought  with  them  drums, 
ohes,  ulilis,  rattling  gourds,  and  other  musical  instru- 

521 


ISLANDS   OF  THE   PACIFIC 

ments,  and  while  they  awaited  the  coming  of  the  con- 
testants, all  frolicked  as  if  they  were  children  —  frol- 
icked as  was  their  way  before  the  white  man  came  to 
tell  them  they  were  nearly  naked,  and  that  life  was  too 
serious  a  thing  to  be  frittered  away  in  enjoyment.  They 
ate  ohias,  cocoanuts,  and  bananas  under  the  palms,  and 
chewed  the  pith  of  sugar-cane.  They  danced,  sang,  and 
laughed  at  the  hula  and  other  sports  of  the  children, 
and  grew  nervous  with  enthusiasm  when  their  bards 
chanted  the  meles  of  by-gone  years. 

The  game  of  holua  consists  in  sliding  down  a  some- 
times long  but  always  steep  hill  on  a  narrow  sledge 
from  six  to  twelve  feet  in  length,  called  a  papa.  The 
light  and  polished  runners,  bent  upward  at  the  front, 
are  bound  quite  closely  together,  with  crossbars  for  the 
hands  and  feet.  With  a  run  at  the  top  of  the  sliding 
track,  slightly  smoothed  and  sometimes  strewn  with 
rushes,  the  rider  throws  himself  face  downward  on 
the  narrow  papa  and  dashes  headlong  down  the  hill. 
As  the  sledge  is  not  more  than  six  or  eight  inches  in 
width,  with  more  than  as  many  feet  in  length,  one  of 
the  principal  difficulties  of  the  descent  is  in  keeping  it 
under  the  rider;  the  other,  of  course,  is  in  guiding  it;  but 
long  practice  is  required  to  master  the  subtleties  of 
either.  Kahavari  was  an  adept  with  the  papa,  and  so 
was  Ahua.  Rare  sport  was  therefore  expected,  and  the 
people  of  the  neighborhood  assembled  almost  in  a  body 
to  witness  it. 

Finally  appearing  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  Kahavari  and 
his  companions  were  heartily  cheered  by  their  good- 
natured  auditors.  Their  papas  were  carried  by  attend- 
ants.   The  chief  smiled  upon  the  assemblage,  and  as 

522 


THE  VENGEANCE  OF  THE  GODDESS  PELE 

he  struck  his  tall  spear  into  the  ground  and  divested  his 
broad  shoulders  of  the  kihei  covering  them,  the  wagers 
of  fruit  and  pigs  were  three  to  one  that  he  would  reach 
the  bottom  first,  although  Ahua  was  expert  with  the 
papa,  and  but  a  month  before  had  beaten  the  champion 
of  Kau  on  his  own  ground. 

Taking  their  sledges  under  their  arms,  the  contest- 
ants laughingly  mounted  the  hill  with  firm,  strong 
strides,  neither  thinking  of  resting  until  the  top  was 
gained.  Stopping  for  a  moment  preparatory  to  the 
descent,  a  comely-looking  woman  stepped  out  from 
behind  a  clump  of  undergrowth  and  bowed  before  them. 
Little  attention  was  paid  to  her  until  she  approached 
still  nearer  and  boldly  challenged  Kahavari  to  contest  the 
holua  with  her  instead  of  Ahua.  Exchanging  a  smile  of 
amusement  with  his  companion,  the  chief  scanned  the 
lithe  and  shapely  figure  of  the  woman  for  a  moment,  and 
then  exclaimed,  more  in  astonishment  than  in  anger,  — 

"What!  with  a  woman?" 

"  And  why  not  with  a  woman,  if  she  is  your  superior 
and  you  lack  not  the  courage?"  was  the  cahn  rejoinder. 

"You  are  bold,  woman,"  returned  the  chief,  with 
something  of  a  frown.  "What  know  you  of  the  papa?'' 

"Enough  to  reach  the  bottom  of  the  hill  in  front  of 
the  chief  of  Puna,"  was  the  prompt  and  defiant  answer. 

"Is  it  so,  indeed?  Then  take  the  papa  and  we  will 
see!"  said  Kahavari,  with  an  angry  look  which  did 
not  seem  to  disturb  the  woman  in  the  least. 

At  a  motion  from  the  chief,  Ahua  handed  his  papa  to 
the  woman,  and  the  next  moment  Kahavari,  with  the 
strange  contestant  closely  behind  him,  was  dashing 
down  the  hill.  On,  on  they  went,  around  and  over  rocks, 

523 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

at  breakneck  speed;  but  for  a  moment  the  woman  lost 
her  balance,  and  Kahavari  reached  the  end  of  the 
course  a  dozen  paces  in  advance. 

Music  and  shouting  followed  the  victory  of  the  chief, 
and,  scowling  upon  the  exultant  multitude,  the  wo- 
man pointed  to  the  hill,  silently  challenging  the  victor 
to  another  trial.  They  mounted  the  hill  without  a  word, 
and  turned  for  another  start. 

"  Stop!"  said  the  woman,  while  a  strange  Hght  flashed 
in  her  eyes.  "Your  papa  is  better  than  mine.  If  you 
would  act  fairly,  let  us  now  exchange!" 

"Why  should  I  exchange?"  repHed  the  chief  hastily. 
"You  are  neither  my  wife  nor  my  sister,  and  I  know 
you  not.  Come!"  And,  presuming  the  woman  was 
following  him,  Kahavari  made  a  spring  and  dashed 
down  the  hill  on  his  papa. 

With  this  the  woman  stamped  her  foot,  and  a  river 
of  burning  lava  burst  from  the  hill  and  began  to  pour 
down  into  the  valley  beneath.  Reaching  the  bottom, 
Kahavari  rose  and  looked  behind  him,  and  to  his  horror 
saw  a  wide  and  wild  torrent  of  lava  rushing  down  the 
hillside  toward  the  spot  where  he  was  standing;  and 
riding  on  the  crest  of  the  foremost  wave  was  the  wo- 
man —  now  no  longer  disguised,  but  Pele,  the  dreadful 
Goddess  of  Kilauea  —  with  thunder  at  her  feet  and 
lightning  playing  with  her  flaming  tresses. 

Seizing  his  spear,  Kahavari,  accompanied  by  Ahua, 
fled  for  his  Hfe  to  the  small  eminence  of  Puukea.  He 
looked  behind,  and  saw  the  entire  assemblage  of  spec- 
tators engulfed  in  a  sea  of  fire.  With  terrible  rapidity 
the  valleys  began  to  fill,  and  he  knew  that  his  only  hope 
of  escape  was  in  reaching  the  ocean,  for  it  was  manifest 

524 


THE   VENGEANCE   OF   THE   GODDESS   PELE 

that  Pele  was  intent  upon  his  destruction.  He  fled  to 
his  house,  and,  passing  it  without  stopping,  said  farewell 
to  his  mother,  wife,  and  children,  and  to  his  favorite 
hog  Aloipuaa.  TelHng  them  that  Pele  was  in  pursuit 
of  him  with  a  river  of  fire,  and  to  save  themselves  if 
possible,  by  escaping  to  the  hills,  he  left  them  to  their 
fate. 

Coming  to  a  chasm,  he  saw  Pele  pouring  lava  down  it 
to  cut  off  his  retreat.  He  crossed  on  his  spear,  pulling 
his  friend  over  after  him.  At  length,  closely  pursued,  he 
reached  the  ocean.  His  brother,  discovering  the  danger, 
had  just  landed  from  his  fishing-canoe  and  had  gone 
to  look  after  the  safety  of  his  family.  Kahavari  leaped 
into  the  canoe  with  his  companions,  and,  using  his 
spear  for  a  paddle,  was  soon  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
pursuing  lava.  Enraged  at  his  escape,  Pele  ran  some 
distance  into  the  water  and  hurled  after  him  huge  stones 
that  hissed  as  they  struck  the  waves,  until  an  east  wind 
sprang  up  and  carried  him  far  out  to  sea. 

He  first  reached  the  island  of  Maui,  and  thence  by  the 
way  of  Lanai  found  his  way  to  Oahu,  where  he  re- 
mained to  the  end  of  his  days.  All  of  his  relatives  in 
Puna  perished,  with  hundreds  of  others  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Kapoho.  But  he  never  ventured  back  to  Puna, 
the  grave  of  his  hopes  and  his  people,  for  he  believed 
Pele,  the  unforgiving,  would  visit  the  place  with  another 
horror  if  he  did. 

Pele  had  come  down  from  Kilauea  in  a  pleasant 
mood  to  witness  the  holua  contest;  but  Kahavari  an- 
gered her  unwittingly,  and  what  followed  has  just  been 
described. 


FATHER  DAMIEN,  THE  MISSIONARY  TO  THE 
LEPERS 

BY   JOHN   C.    LAMBERT 

He  was  born  in  1840  of  peasant  parents  at  a  little  village 
on  the  river  Laak,  not  far  from  the  ancient  city  of  Lou- 
vain,  in  Belgium.  His  real  name  was  Joseph  de  Veuster, 
Damien  being  a  new  name  which  he  adopted,  accord- 
ing to  the  custom  of  the  religious  orders,  when  he  was 
admitted  to  the  congregation  of  the  Picpus  Fathers. 
In  1864  he  joined  on  the  shortest  notice,  as  a  substitute 
for  his  elder  brother,  who  had  suddenly  fallen  ill,  a  band 
of  missionaries  for  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  and  his  Hfe's 
labors  were  begun  in  the  very  island  on  which  Captain 
Cook  met  his  tragic  end  so  long  before.  Here  for  nine 
years  he  toiled  unsparingly,  endearing  himself  to  the 
natives,  and  earning  from  his  bishop  the  title  of  "the 
intrepid,"  because  nothing  ever  seemed  to  daunt  him. 

He  had  many  adventures  both  on  the  sea  and  among 
the  volcanic  mountains,  for,  like  Bishop  Huntington, 
whom  he  frequently  recalls,  he  was  a  bold  cliff-climber 
and  a  strong  swimmer.  In  visiting  the  people  in  the 
remoter  parts  of  the  island,  he  thought  nothing  of  scal- 
ing precipitous  rocks  on  hands  and  knees,  till  his  boots 
were  torn  to  shreds  and  the  blood  flowed  freely  from 
feet  as  well  as  hands.  Once  when  his  canoe  capsized  he 
had  to  save  his  life  by  a  long  swim  in  his  clothes.  On 
another  occasion,  as  he  was  riding  along  a  lonely  coast,  he 
observed  a  ship's  boat  with  several  persons  in  it  drifting 

526 


FATHER   DAMIEN 

helplessly  towards  the  rocks.  Jumping  from  his  horse, 
he  plunged  into  the  sea,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
boat  and  bringing  to  land  eight  shipwrecked  sailors  — 
three  Americans,  four  Englishmen,  and  a  Dutchman. 
Their  vessel  had  taken  fire  in  mid-ocean ;  for  more  than 
a  week  they  had  drifted  about  in  the  Pacific  till  their 
strength  was  utterly  exhausted;  and  death  was  already 
staring  them  in  the  eyes  when  the  brave  young  priest 
came  with  deliverance. 

But  we  must  pass  from  deeds  of  courage  and  daring 
in  which  Damien  has  been  equaled  by  many  others,  to 
speak  of  the  great  deed  of  sacrifice  in  which  he  stands 
alone.  The  lovely  Hawaiian  Islands  have  long  suffered 
from  a  terrible  scourge,  the  scourge  of  leprosy.  Some 
years  after  Father  Damien's  arrival  the  Government  de- 
termined on  the  use  of  drastic  measures  to  stamp  out 
the  evil.  There  is  in  the  archipelago  an  island  called 
Molokai,  which  along  its  northern  side  presents  to  the 
sea  an  awful  front  of  precipice.  At  one  spot,  however, 
in  this  frowning  battlement  of  rock,  and  bearing  to  it,  in 
R.  L.  Stevenson's  vivid  comparison,  "the  same  relation 
as  a  bracket  to  a  wall,"  there  projects  into  the  ocean 
a  rugged  triangular  piece  of  land  known  as  Kalawao, 
which  is  thus  "cut  off  between  the  surf  and  the  preci- 
pice." To  this  desolate  tongue  of  wind-swept  down  it 
was  resolved  to  deport  every  person,  young  or  old,  rich 
or  poor,  prince  or  commoner,  in  whom  the  sHghtest 
taint  of  leprosy  should  be  found.  The  law  was  carried 
into  effect  with  the  utmost  rigor.  All  over  the  islands 
lepers  and  those  suspected  of  having  leprosy  were 
hunted  out  by  the  poUce,  dragged  away  from  their 
homes,  and  if  certified  by  a  doctor  as  touched  by  the 

527 


ISLANDS  OF  THE  PACIFIC 

disease,  at  once  shipped  off  to  the  leper  settlement  as  if 
to  a  state  prison.  Children  were  torn  from  their  parents 
and  parents  from  their  children.  Husbands  and  wives 
were  separated  forever.  In  no  case  was  any  respect  of 
persons  shown,  and  a  near  relative  of  the  Hawaiian 
Queen  was  among  the  first  to  be  seized  and  transported. 

Awful  indeed  was  the  lot  of  these  poor  creatures, 
thus  gathered  together  from  all  parts  of  the  islands  and 
shot  out  like  rubbish  on  that  dismal  wedge  of  land  be- 
tween cliff  and  sea.  Parted  forever  from  their  friends, 
outcasts  of  society,  with  no  man  to  care  for  their  bodies 
or  their  souls,  with  nothing  to  hope  for  but  a  horrible 
unpitied  death,  they  gave  themselves  up  to  a  life  like 
that  of  the  beasts  of  the  field.  And  even  to  this  day 
things  might  have  been  no  better  on  the  peninsula  of 
Kalawao,  had  it  not  been  for  the  coming  of  Father 
Damien. 

For  some  time  Damien  had  felt  the  dreadful  lot  of 
those  unfortunates  pressing  heavily  upon  his  heart,  all 
the  more  as  several  of  his  own  flock  had  been  carried 
away  to  the  settlement.  In  a  letter  written  about  this 
time  he  says  that  when  he  saw  his  own  beloved  people 
dragged  away,  he  felt  a  presentiment  that  he  should  see 
them  again.  Such  a  presentiment  could  only  point  to 
one  thing.  From  Molokai  no  leper  was  ever  permitted 
to  return.  Above  the  beach  of  Kalawao,  as  above  the 
arched  portal  of  Dante's  Inferno,  the  awful  words  might 
have  stood,  "Abandon  hope,  all  ye  who  enter  here." 
If  Father  Damien  was  to  see  his  poor  smitten  children 
again,  it  must  be  by  going  to  them,  for  nevermore  should 
they  return  to  him. 
.    One  day  there  was  a  gathering  of  the  Roman  Catholic 

528 


FATHER   DAMIEN 

clergy  at  the  dedication  of  a  church  on  the  island  of 
Maui,  which  lies  not  far  from  Molokai.  After  the  cere- 
mony was  over,  the  bishop  was  holding  a  familiar  conver- 
sation with  his  missionaries,  and  in  the  course  of  it  he 
spoke  of  the  distress  he  felt  for  the  poor  lepers  of 
Molokai  —  stricken  sheep  without  a  shepherd.  At  once 
Damien  spoke  out.  "My  lord,"  he  said,  "on  the  day 
when  I  was  admitted  to  the  order  of  the  Picpus  Fathers, 
I  was  placed  under  the  pall,  that  I  might  learn  that 
voluntary  death  is  the  beginning  of  a  new  life.  And  I 
wish  to  declare  now  that  I  am  ready  to  bury  myself 
alive  among  the  lepers  of  Molokai,  some  of  whom  are 
well  known  to  me." 

It  shows  the  stuff  of  which  those  Roman  Catholic 
missionaries  were  made  that  the  bishop  accepted 
Damien's  proposal  as  simply  and  readily  as  it  was 
uttered.  "I  could  not  have  imposed  this  task  upon  any 
one,"  he  said,  "but  I  gladly  accept  the  offer  you  have 
made."  At  once  Damien  was  ready  to  start,  for,  like 
General  Gordon  when  he  started  for  Khartoum,  he 
required  no  time  for  preparations.  A  few  days  after- 
wards, on  May  nth,  1873,  he  was  landed  on  the  beach 
of  Kalawao  along  with  a  batch  of  fifty  miserable  lepers, 
whom  the  authorities  had  just  collected  from  various 
parts  of  Hawaii. 

The  sights  that  met  the  eye  of  the  devoted  missionary 
must  have  been  revolting  beyond  expression,  though 
Damien  says  little  about  them,  for  it  was  not  his  habit 
to  dwell  on  these  details.  Stevenson  visited  Molokai 
after  Damien  was  dead,  and  after  the  place  had  been 
"purged,  bettered,  beautified"  by  his  influence  and 
example;  but  he  describes  the  experience  as  "grinding" 

529 


ISLANDS  OF  THE  PACIFIC 

and  "harrowing."  The  Princess-Regent  of  Hawaii  once 
paid  a  state  visit  to  the  settlement  while  Damien  was 
there,  and  after  his  presence  had  wrought  a  marvelous 
transformation.  The  lepers  were  dressed  in  their  best. 
Triumphal  arches  adorned  the  beach.  Flowers  were 
strewn  in  profusion  along  the  path  that  led  to  the  place 
of  reception.  But  when  the  royal  lady  looked  around  her 
on  that  awful  crowd,  the  tears  rolled  down  her  cheeks, 
and  though  it  had  been  arranged  that  she  should  speak 
to  the  people,  her  lips  trembled  so  helplessly  that  she 
was  unable  to  utter  a  single  word.  Damien  came  to 
Kalawao  when  the  settlement  was  at  its  worst.  He  saw 
it  too,  not  as  a  passing  visitor,  but  as  one  who  knew 
that  henceforth  this  was  to  be  his  only  home  on  earth. 
He  confesses  that  for  a  moment,  as  he  stepped  ashore, 
his  heart  sank  within  him.  But  he  said  to  himself,  ''Now 
Joseph,  my  boy,  this  is  your  Hfe-work!"  And  never 
during  the  sixteen  years  that  followed  did  he  go  back 
upon  his  resolve. 

For  several  weeks,  until  he  foimd  time  to  build  him- 
self a  hut,  he  had  no  shelter  but  a  large  pandanus  tree. 
This  pandanus  tree  he  called  his  house,  and  under  its 
branches  he  lay  down  on  the  ground  to  sleep  at  night. 
Meanwhile,  from  the  very  first,  he  spent  his  days  in 
trying  to  teach  and  help  and  comfort  his  leper  flock. 
In  a  letter  to  his  brother,  Father  Pamphile,  in  substitu- 
tion for  whom,  as  mentioned  already,  he  had  become  a 
Hawaiian  missionary,  he  admits  that  at  first  he  almost 
grew  sick  in  the  presence  of  so  much  physical  corruption. 
On  Sundays  especially,  when  the  people  crowded  closely 
round  him  in  the  little  building  which  served  as  a  chapel, 
he  often  felt  as  if  he  must  rush  out  of  the  loathsome 

530 


FATHER   DAMIEN 

atmosphere  into  the  open  air.  But  he  deliberately 
crushed  these  sensations  down.  He  sought  to  make 
himself  as  one  of  the  lepers,  and  carried  this  so  far  that 
in  his  preaching  he  did  not  use  the  conventional  "My 
brethren,"  but  employed  the  expression,  "We  lepers," 
instead.  And  by  and  by  the  spirit  of  sympathy  grew  so 
strong  that  even  in  the  presence  of  what  was  most 
disgusting  all  feeling  of  repugnance  passed  entirely 
away. 

It  was  not  only  the  souls  of  the  lepers  for  which 
Father  Damien  cared.  At  that  time  there  was  no  doctor 
in  the  settlement,  so  he  set  himself  to  soothe  their  bodily 
sufferings  as  best  he  could,  cleansing  their  open  wounds 
and  binding  up  their  stumps  and  sores.  Death  was  con- 
stantly busy  —  indeed,  some  one  died  almost  every  day; 
and  whether  at  noon  or  at  midnight,  the  good  Father 
was  there  to  perform  the  last  offices  of  his  Church.  And 
as  he  sought  to  comfort  the  lepers  in  dying,  his  care  for 
them  continued  after  they  were  dead.  Before  his  arrival 
no  one  had  thought  of  burying  a  dead  leper  with  any 
sort  of  decency.  No  coffin  was  provided;  the  corpse  at 
best  was  shoveled  hastily  into  a  shallow  hole.  But 
Father  Damien's  reverence  for  a  human  being  forbade 
him  to  acquiesce  in  such  arrangements.  As  there  was 
no  one  else  to  make  coffins,  he  made  them  himself,  and 
it  is  estimated  that  during  his  years  on  Molokai  he  made 
not  less  than  fifteen  hundred  with  his  own  hands.  More 
than  this,  —  when  no  other  could  be  got  to  dig  a  proper 
grave,  Damien  did  not  hesitate  to  seize  his  spade  and 
act  the  part  of  the  grave-digger.  To  most  people  such 
toils  as  pastor  and  teacher,  doctor  and  undertaker, 
would  seem  more  than  enough  for  even  the  strongest  of 

531 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

men.  But  they  were  far  from  summing  up  the  labors  of 
Damien.  He  induced  the  people  to  build  themselves 
houses,  and  as  few  of  them  knew  how  to  begin,  he  became 
head  mason  and  carpenter-in-chief  to  the  whole  settle- 
ment. He  next  got  them  to  give  him  their  assistance  in 
erecting  suitable  chapels  at  different  points  of  the  penin- 
sula. He  built  two  orphanages,  one  for  boys  and  one  for 
girls,  into  which  he  gathered  all  the  fatherless  and 
motherless  children;  and  to  the  instruction  of  these 
young  people  he  gave  special  attention.  Above  all,  he 
sought  by  constant  cheerfulness  and  unflagging  energy 
to  infuse  a  new  spirit  into  that  forlorn  collection  of 
doomed  men  and  women.  By  teaching  them  to  work  he 
brought  a  fresh  and  healthy  interest  into  their  lives.  By 
creating  a  Christian  pubHc  opinion  he  Hfted  them  out  of 
the  condition  of  filth  and  sottishness  into  which  they 
had  sunk.  But,  above  all,  he  wiped  off  from  their  souls 
"the  soiling  of  despair"  by  the  assurance  he  gave  them 
of  human  sympathy  and  Divine  love. 

What  was  Father  Damien  like,  many  will  ask.  He 
was  tall  and  strong,  indeed  of  an  imposing  presence, 
with  a  bright  and  serene  countenance  and  a  rich  and 
powerful  voice.  The  very  sight  of  him  brought  strength 
and  comfort  to  others.  Like  the  Master  whom  he  loved 
and  sought  to  follow,  and  who  also  was  the  Friend  of 
the  leper,  he  was  possessed  of  a  strange  magnetism — a 
kind  of  vital  "virtue"  —  which,  though  in  Damien's 
case  it  could  not  effect  miracles,  yet  had  power  to  lift 
up  the  hearts  of  those  who  were  bowed  down  by  their 
infirmities. 

So  the  years  passed  on,  while  day  after  day  was  filled 
up  with  such  tasks  as  we  have  described.    During  the 

532 


FATHER   DAMIEN 

first  six  months  the  Father  was  sometimes  haunted  by 
the  thought  that  he  had  contracted  the  insidious  dis- 
ease, but  thereafter  he  banished  the  idea  from  his  mind, 
and  lived  on  in  Molokai  for  many  years  in  perfect  health 
and  strength.  One  day,  however,  as  he  was  washing  his 
feet  in  unusually  hot  water,  he  noticed  that  they  had 
been  bHstered  with  the  heat  without  his  being  conscious 
of  any  pain.  At  once  he  knew  what  this  meant.  He  had 
not  lived  so  long  in  the  settlement  without  learning  that 
the  absence  of  feehng  in  any  part  of  the  body  is  one  of 
the  surest  symptoms  of  leprosy;  and  now  he  understood 
that  his  doom  was  sealed.  But  the  fact  made  very  little 
difference  in  either  his  thoughts  or  his  ways.  So  long 
as  he  was  able  he  went  on  with  his  duties  as  before,  while 
he  exerted  himself  with  special  anxiety  to  secure  that 
after  he  was  goue  the  work  he  had  been  doing  in  the 
settlement  should  be  carried  on,  and  carried  on  still 
more  efl&ciently  than  had  been  possible  for  one  who 
labored  single-handed.  And  before  he  died  he  had  the 
joy  of  knowing  not  only  that  these  deeds  of  love  and 
mercy  would  be  taken  up  and  continued  by  other 
Fathers  of  his  order,  but  that  a  band  of  Franciscan 
sisters,  inspired  by  his  great  example,  had  volunteered 
to  serve  as  nurses  among  the  lepers  of  Molokai,  and  that 
an  adequate  hospital  with  a  thoroughly  qualified  doctor 
would  seek  to  assuage  the  sufferings  of  those  who  had 
reached  the  last  stages  of  the  fatal  malady. 

In  spite  of  all  that  Father  Damien  accomplished  when 
he  was  alive,  we  might  almost  say  that  he  did  more  for 
the  Hawaiian  lepers  by  his  death  than  by  his  life.  It 
was  not  till  after  he  had  passed  away  that  men  came  to 
a  full  knowledge  of  this  hero  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

533 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

Largely  by  the  help  of  the  burning  pen  of  Robert  Louis 
Stevenson,  the  story  of  his  willing  martyrdom  flew  round 
the  world  and  made  the  name  of  Molokai  illustrious. 
International  sympathy  was  aroused  for  the  poor 
sufferers  for  whom  Damien  laid  down  his  Hfe.  The  press 
of  every  Christian  country  resounded  with  his  fame. 
Princes  and  peasants  sought  to  do  him  honor.  His 
Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales  —  afterwards 
Edward  VII  —  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  a  movement 
which  had  for  its  object  to  commemorate  the  life  and 
labors  of  this  brave  soldier-saint  of  Jesus  Christ.  Money 
flowed  in,  by  which  it  became  possible  to  do  much  more 
for  Damien's  leper  flock  than  he  had  ever  been  able  to 
do  himself.  The  Damien  Institute  was  formed  in  Eng- 
land for  the  training  of  Roman  Cathohc  youths  to  the 
laborious  hfe  of  missionary  priests  in  the  South  Seas. 

When  Father  Damien's  end  was  drawing  near,  he 
expressed  a  desire  to  be  buried  at  the  foot  of  the  pan- 
danus  tree  beneath  which  he  had  lived  when  he  first 
came  to  Molokai.  The  two  Fathers  who  were  now  with 
him  thought  it  right  to  comply  with  his  wishes;  and  so 
under  the  very  spot  which  once  served  him  for  his  bed 
his  body  lies  awaiting  the  Resurrection,  with  flowers 
growing  over  it  and  the  wide  tree  spreading  above.  In 
one  of  the  streets  of  Louvain  there  stands  a  beautiful 
statue  of  Father  Damien.  His  face  is  upHfted  to 
heaven,  his  left  hand  holds  a  crucifix  to  his  heart,  his 
right  arm  is  thrown  in  love  and  protection  round  the 
shoulder  of  a  poor  leper,  who  crouches  to  his  side  for 
comfort.  It  is  a  fine  conception,  finely  executed;  and 
yet  its  effect  upon  the  beholder  can  hardly  compare 
with  the  feelings  of  those  who,  like  Stevenson  and  other 

534 


FATHER   DAMIEN 

pilgrims  to  the  island,  have  stood  by  that  grave  in 
Molokai  beneath  the  old  pandanus  tree  and  seen  Father 
Damien's  monument  lying  all  around  him  in  that  com- 
munity of  lepers,  which  has  been  "purged,  bettered, 
beautified"  by  his  great  act  of  sacrifice. 


A   VISIT  TO   AGUINALDO 

BY  EDWIN   WILDMAN 

[The  Philippines  were  visited  by  Magellan  in  1521.  Half  a 
century  later,  the  Spanish  took  possession  of  them  and  named 
them  in  honor  of  PhiUp  II  of  Spain.  In  1896,  the  natives, 
led  by  Aguinaldo,  revolted  against  Spanish  rule.  After  the 
Spanish- American  War,  Aguinaldo  fought  against  the  United 
States,  into  whose  hands  the  islands  had  now  fallen.  In 
1901,  he  was  captured  and  American  rule  was  estabUshed 
throughout  the  Phihppines. 

The  Editor.] 

In  November,  1898,  I  visited  Aguinaldo  at  his  capital 
at  Malolos.  I  was  laboring  under  the  popular  delusion 
as  to  Aguinaldo's  greatness,  and  judged  him  largely 
from  the  documents  that  bore  his  name,  although  I  was 
in  possession  of  some  information  which  aided  me  in 
understanding  somewhat  the  situation  at  Malolos.  I 
was  well  acquainted  with  a  number  of  revolutionary 
sympathizers,  and  several  members  of  Aguinaldo's 
cabinet  who  resided  in  Manila,  and,  considering  their 
views  and  the  positions  they  held,  I  was  somewhat  sur- 
prised at  the  open  manner  in  which  they  depreciated 
Aguinaldo's  ability  and  deplored  the  prominence  ac- 
corded him,  even  while  they  themselves  admitted  that  his 
name  was  the  only  one  that  held  the  natives  in  check 
and  united  in  the  aspirations  for  independence.  It  was 
humiliating  to  them  that  Aguinaldo,  instead  of  one  of 
their  number,  held  the  confidence  of  the  people. 
I  shall  not  soon  forget  my  pilgrimage  to  the  Filipino 

536 


A  VISIT  TO  AGUINALDO 

Mecca.  Those  were  the  palmy  days  of  the  Republica 
Filipina,  and  Aguinaldo's  name  was  on  every  lip. 

There  was  a  cordon  of  insurgent  soldiers  around 
Manila,  and  to  pass  this  line  one  must  needs  have  a  pass 
signed  by  Aguinaldo.  I  boarded  the  diminutive  train 
on  the  Manila-Dagupan  Railroad,  and  in  company  with 
twelve  carloads  of  barefooted  natives  was  soon  speeding 
along  the  Httle  narrow  gauge  toward  Malolos.  In  half 
an  hour  we  had  passed  the  cordon,  and  I  and  my 
FiUpino  companion  were  landed  on  the  Malolos  plat- 
form, which  was  patrolled  by  a  half-dozen  or  more 
Fihpino  soldiers,  who  strutted  up  and  down,  and,  it 
seemed  to  me,  looked  upon  me  with  suspicion.  I  greeted 
their  looks  with  an  aflfable  smile,  —  we  all  did  then,  — 
and  they  withdrew  their  stare  and  passed  on. 

After  the  little  train  puffed  out  of  the  station,  I  pushed 
my  way  through  a  crowd  of  palm-extended  beggars, 
trading  upon  deformed  Umbs  and  leprous  faces,  and 
reached  the  opposite  side  of  the  station,  where  Hngered 
beneath  the  shade  of  some  scraggly  palms  a  half-dozen 
caromettas,  attached  by  crude  hemp  harnesses  to  ponies, 
long  strangers  to  sacati  and  pali. 

Though  naturally  merciful  to  the  animal  kingdom,  I 
was  prevailed  upon  by  Malolos  "  hackmen,"  augmented 
by  the  persuasive  rays  of  the  midday  sun,  to  take  a  seat 
in  one  of  their  crude  carts,  and  was  soon  bumping  and 
joggling  over  the  occasionally  planked  road  toward  the 
pueblo. 

It  was  tiffin  time,  and  I  knew  better  than  to  disturb 
any  Filipino  gentleman  at  midday.  For  a  siesta  follows 
tiffin  with  as  much  regularity  as  a  demi-tasse  does  dinner 
in  America.    My  Fihpino  friend  and  myself  therefore 

537 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

repaired  to  a  public  house  and  partook  of  a  native  meal, 
which  was  washed  down  by  native  drinks  —  the  combi- 
nation fitting  one  for  any  crime.  After  visiting  the 
church,  the  public  square,  and  the  town  pump,  I  pre- 
sented myself  at  the  Casa  Aguinaldo.  The  Presidente 
made  his  headquarters  in  the  second  story  of  a  large 
convent,  or  priest's  house,  as  it  is  called,  adjoining  the 
Malolos  church,  which  was  utilized  to  accommodate  the 
sessions  of  the  Filipino  Congress.  Two  Maxim  guns 
protruded  from  the  windows  of  the  convent,  and  the 
entrance  was  guarded  by  a  patrol  of  Filipino  soldiery. 

We  passed  this  gantlet  without  challenge  and  as- 
cended the  convent  stairs.  At  the  top  extended  a  long, 
broad  hall.  On  either  side  of  this  passageway  were 
stationed  Aguinaldo's  bodyguards  armed  with  halberds. 
Diminutive  Fihpinos,  almost  comical  in  their  toy-like 
dignity,  were  ranged  along  the  wall,  giving  themselves 
an  extra  brace  as  we  passed.  The  halberds  were  cheap 
imitations  of  those  customarily  used  in  the  palace  of  the 
governor-general  at  Manila  upon  state  occasions. 

Our  cards  were  sent  in.  The  Presidente  would  receive 
us.  Would  we  wait  for  a  brief  space?  The  dapper  but 
brave  little  insurgent  general,  Pio  del  Pinar,  was  pleased 
to  greet  us. 

The  Presidente  knew  of  my  coming.  Had  it  not  been 
telegraphed  to  him  when  we  crossed  the  line?  Ah, 
Senor,  the  Presidente  knows  everything.  He  desires  to 
protect  Americans  when  they  do  him  so  much  honor. 
But  did  one  need  special  protection  in  Aguinaldo's 
country?  No,  Senor,  but  there  are  Spaniards  who  yet 
hope  and  hate.  Too  much  caution  cannot  be  exercised. 
W^ould  we  look  at  the  council  room  —  and  so  on. 

538 


A  VISIT  TO  AGUINALDO 

I  early  learned  that  if  one  wished  to  get  information 
from  a  Filipino,  one  must  not  ask  it.  Aguinaldo's 
council  chamber  was  interesting.  Down  the  center  of 
the  hall  were  parallel  rows  of  chairs,  Filipino  style, 
facing  each  other.  Here  sat  the  dignitaries  of  state  like 
rows  of  men  awaiting  their  turns  in  a  barber  shop.  The 
walls  were  hung  with  creditable  paintings  by  native 
artists.  A  large  Oriental  rug  covered  the  mahogany 
floor. 

On  bamboo  pedestals  around  the  rooms  were  minia- 
ture wood-carvings  representing  Filipino  victims  under- 
going tortures  of  various  descriptions  at  the  hands  of 
friars  and  Spanish  officials  for  refusing  to  divulge  the 
secrets  of  the  Katipunan.  One  showed  a  native  sus- 
pended on  tiptoes  by  a  cord  tied  around  his  tongue, 
while  a  Spanish  hireling  slashed  his  back  with  a  knife. 
Another  represented  a  native  of  the  province  of  Nueva 
Ecija  falsely  accused  of  hostility  to  the  Spanish,  so  I  was 
told.  A  cord  passed  through  his  nose,  as  if  he  were  a 
beast  of  burden.  A  Spaniard  was  cudgeling  his  bare 
shoulders  with  a  bamboo  stick.  Another  showed  a 
Filipino  hung  up  by  his  feet  with  a  big  stone  bound  to 
each  shoulder.  Still  another  represented  a  native  with 
his  back  bent  backward,  a  pole  passing  under  his  knees, 
a  cord  around  his  chest  holding  him  bent  over  in  a  most 
painful  position.  And  others  equally  terrible.  All  these 
were  actual  cases.  I  was  told  the  history  of  each  one. 
Finally  Aguinaldo  was  ready  to  receive  us.  The  red 
plush  curtains  that  separated  his  private  room  from  the 
council  chamber  were  drawn  aside  by  guards,  and  we 
entered  the  holy  of  holies.  The  httle  chieftain  was 
already  standing  to  receive  us. 

539 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

His  spacious  room  was  adorned  with  Japanese  tapes- 
tries. Around  the  walls  were  handsome  Japanese  vases, 
and  emblazoned  high  on  one  side  of  the  room  was  a  shield 
of  ancient  Japanese  and  Mindanao  arms.  On  another 
side  of  the  room  was  a  huge  Spanish  mirror.  Back  of 
Aguinaldo's  desk  hung  from  its  staff  a  handsome  Span- 
ish flag.  I  jokingly  asked  Aguinaldo  if  he  would  present 
it  to  me  as  a  souvenir  of  my  visit.  ''Not  for  twenty-five 
thousand  pesos,"  he  replied.  ''I  captured  it  at  Cavite, 
my  native  town.  The  Spaniards  have  offered  thousands 
of  pesos  as  a  bribe  for  the  restoration  of  that  flag,  so  I 
keep  it  here." 

Aguinaldo  is  short.  His  skin  is  dark.  His  head  is 
large,  but  weU  posed  on  a  rather  slight  body.  His  hair 
is  the  shiny  black  of  the  Tagalog,  and  is  combed  pompa- 
dour, enhancing  his  height  somewhat.  On  that  day  he 
was  dressed  in  a  suit  of  fine  pina-cloth  of  native  manu- 
facture, and  he  wore  no  indication  of  his  rank. 

Through  my  Filipino  friend,  as  interpreter,  I  had  an 
extended  conversation  with  him.  He  told  me  that  he 
hoped  to  avoid  a  rupture  with  the  Americans,  but  that 
his  people  felt  that  they  had  been  wronged  and  slighted, 
and  that  they  were  becoming  turbulent  and  difficult  to 
control.  He  said  that  his  Government  was  thoroughly 
organized ;  that  throughout  the  provinces,  where  insur- 
rection had  been  incessant  for  years,  all  was  quiet,  and 
the  peaceful  pursuits  of  labor  were  being  carried  on. 
"I  hope  these  conditions  will  not  be  disturbed,"  he 
added,  not  without  meaning.  I  asked  him  if  the  charges 
were  true  that  the  Spanish  friars  were  maltreated,  and  if 
women,  also,  were  imprisoned.  He  replied  that  he  was 
not  responsible  to  any  one  for  the  treatment  of  his  pris- 

540 


A  VISIT   TO  AGUINALDO 

oners,  but  that  if  an  accredited  emissary  of  General 
Otis  would  call  upon  him,  he  would  permit  him  to  visit 
the  places  where  the  Spanish  prisoners  were  confined. 
As  to  the  women,  he  said  that  they  were  "wives"  of 
the  priests  and  voluntarily  shared  captivity  with  them. 
As  I  left  the  room  he  spoke  to  my  Fihpino  friend,  calling 
him  back.  Being  somewhat  curious  at  this  not  alto- 
gether polite  act,  I  later  asked  the  reason. 

My  friend  smiled,  and  told  me  that  Aguinaldo  wished 
to  make  a  purchase  in  Manila,  and  requested  him  to 
attend  to  it. 

"But  what  did  he  want?"   I  said. 

My  friend  again  smiled,  and  said:  — 

"You  know  he  is  vain.  He  wants  me  to  get  him 
another  large  mirror  like  the  one  in  his  room.  He  desires 
it  to  be  the  finest  plate-glass,  and  the  frame,  also,  Span- 
ish style,  to  be  set  with  mirrors.  He  wants,  too,  some 
other  decorations  and  knick-knacks  for  his  room.  He  is 
fond  of  finery  —  like  the  rest  of  us,  you  know." 

I  saw  that  great  French  plate-glass  mirror  several 
months  later.  It  was  removed  from  the  Aguinaldo  sanc- 
tum, however,  and  braced  up  against  a  mango  tree  in 
front  of  the  "palace"  headquarters.  A  big,  swarthy 
Kansan  was  taking  his  first  shave  before  it  after  the 
capture  of  Malolos,  March  31,  1899. 


PREPARING  OUR  MOROS  FOR  GOVERNMENT 

BY  R.   L.   BULLARD 

A  cxjRious  and  interesting  process  has  been  going  on  in 
Mindanao  of  the  PhiHppines ;  the  West  is  being  grafted 
upon  the  East;  American  government  and  ways  are 
passing  to  Oriental  savages. 

The  most  troublesome  and  inaccessible  tribe  were 
the  Lanao  Moros,  living  about  the  fine  lake  of  that 
name,  high  in  the  mountains  and  forests  of  the  interior 
of  Mindanao.  From  thence  in  the  past  they  had  sallied 
forth  when  they  pleased,  in  piratical  and  slave-taking 
expeditions  that  made  the  name  of  Moro  the  terror  of 
the  Philippines.  Returning  thither,  their  ways  had 
seemed  to  close  behind  them.  It  was  for  the  Americans 
to  open  these  ways:  for  here,  as  perhaps  over  all  the 
earth,  road-making  was  to  be  the  first  step,  and  to 
merge  with  government-making  and  civiHzation. 

For  the  Malanaos,  as  these  Moros  called  themselves, 
the  two  began  together.  United  States  troops  began 
laboriously  to  open  a  road  from  the  north  shores  of 
Mindanao  to  the  borders  of  Lake  Lanao.  The  work  fell 
to  the  soldier;  for,  with  the  coming  of  civil  government 
to  the  other  Philippines,  the  Moros,  because  of  their 
long  tradition  of  piracy,  lawlessness,  and  savagery,  had 
been  left  to  the  care  of  the  army.  From  this  work,  from 
his  part  and  charge  thereof,  and  from  his  subsequent 
experience  as  first  governor  of  Lanao,  the  writer  speaks. 

Having  heard  only  fearful  rumors  of  the  military 

542 


PREPARING  OUR  MOROS  FOR  GOVERNMENT 

prowess  and  dire  fanaticism  of  the  Moros,  we  came  to 
find  a  numerous  people  in  a  native  state  of  political 
chaos,  to  the  civilized  mind  incomprehensible,  for  rea- 
sonable beings  incredible.  Nothing,  not  even  pande- 
monium, could  be  said  to  reign  in  such  disorder.  An 
infinity  of  chiefs  called  dattos,  with  pompous  titles  — 
sultan  and  rajah  —  suggesting  power  and  authority,  yet 
having  none,  divided  a  fine  country  into  many  minute 
sovereign  and  independent  followings,  of  uncertain  juris- 
diction as  to  persons,  places,  and  things.  There  were 
five  tribes,  which,  however,  differed  only  in  name,  —  not 
in  condition  or  characteristics.  These  tribes  had  their 
traditional,  hereditary  sultans,  doubled  and  trebled, 
perhaps,  but  always  largely  nominal,  and,  except  for 
their  immediate  personal  following,  with  but  Httle  real 
authority.  Over  their  "sons"  —  the  general  people  and 
the  countless  lesser  dattos  and  sultans  of  the  tribe  — 
they  had  influence,  hardly  control.  The  latter  governed 
themselves,  that  is,  lived  as  they  pleased,  as  they  could, 
or  as  they  were  allowed  by  their  neighbors.  More, 
probably,  than  any  other  man  on  earth  the  Moro  did 
as  he  pleased;  his  only  restraint  was  his  fear  of  others. 
With  perhaps  a  dozen  separate  datto  groups  within 
a  radius  of  a  mile,  with  no  common  superior  to  adjust 
differences,  followers  of  different  dattos  wrangled,  lay 
in  wait  for  one  another,  made  war,  or  watched  one  an- 
other in  a  state  of  armed  peace  that  was  worse  than  war. 
With  no  other  means  of  squaring  accounts  than  by  war 
and  aggression,  these  were  continual.  Rivalry  and  jeal- 
ousy were  the  predominant  tones.  Fear  on  the  datto's 
part  that,  if  he  were  severe  with  his  followers,  they 
would  leave  him  and,  by  joining  some  neighbors,  disturb 

543 


ISLANDS   OF  THE   PACIFIC 

the  local  balance  of  power,  prevented  the  punishment  of 
any  but  domestic  offenses;  and  so  Moros  everywhere 
were  thieves,  robbers,  pirates,  and  slave-takers,  in  a 
state  of  continual  violence  and  wrong-doing  toward  one 
another  and  all  men,  so  far  as  they  dared. 

They  loved  markets,  trade,  and  intercourse,  but  for 
these  there  was  no  protection  except  individual  prowess. 
If  wives  or  children  went  out  without  guard  but  a  little 
way  from  home,  they  were  Hkely  to  be  nabbed  and  run 
off  into  slavery  by  prowling  man-hunters,  shifted  about, 
sold  quickly  from  hand  to  hand,  and  lost  beyond  all 
power  of  tracing.  They  showed  signs  of  industry,  but 
for  this  virtue  savagery  offers  no  encouragement. 
Trained  in  the  use  of  the  dagger,  kris,  two-handed  sword 
and  spear,  all  Moros  were  soldiers,  proud,  quick-tem- 
pered, quarrelsome,  ever  on  the  lookout  for  opportunity 
to  try  their  skill  in  arms,  without  which,  waking  or 
sleeping,  they  were  never  caught. 

Such  were  the  Moros.  There  was  no  government. 
The  only  suggestion  of  it  was  found  in  the  datto.  Mani- 
festly here  not  only  had  the  foundations  of  government 
and  order  yet  to  be  laid,  but  the  very  places  for  them 
were  to  be  made  and  prepared. 

From  a  few  fights  that  had  preceded  our  coming,  it 
had  been  made  plain  to  the  American  authorities  that 
with  our  superior  intelligence,  arms,  and  organization 
we  could,  whenever  desired,  absolutely  wipe  the  Moros 
off  the  earth.  There  was,  however,  in  such  proceeding 
neither  purpose  nor  glory,  and  the  policy  was  to  grant 
opportunity  to  the  Moros,  if  they  would  take  it,  for 
better  things  in  peace.  Thence,  logically,  my  first  steps 
were  to  try  to  demonstrate  to  them  our  good  intentions, 

544 


PREPARING  OUR  MOROS  FOR  GOVERNMENT 

to  place  on  exhibition  before  them  the  advantages,  the 
benefits,  of  peace,  order,  and  government,  —  things 
which  they  had  not. 

Beginning  then,  the  labor  of  soldiers  slowly  and  pain- 
fully for  four  months  worked  a  road  through  Jungle, 
forest,  and  mountain  toward  the  heart  of  the  Moro 
country.  In  this  time,  though  often  invited  and  always 
treated  with  great  consideration,  but  a  few  straggling 
Moros  came  to  visit  me.  With  these,  however,  I  spent 
time  patiently,  squatting  or  sitting  about  camp,  some- 
times talking,  often  in  silence,  all  day  to  the  very  night, 
so  long  as  they  would  stay,  to  allow  them  to  look  and 
learn,  to  observe  us  for  themselves,  and  satisfy  their 
curiosity;  then,  as  they  went  away,  I  invited  them  to 
come  again  to-morrow. 

They  came  in  little  bunches,  and  the  dattos  talked. 
They  rarely  spoke  directly  upon  the  subject  which  nev- 
ertheless I  could  see  was  uppermost  in  their  thoughts, 
—  our  coming.  They  either  disdained  any  show  of  inter- 
est in  it  that  might  imply  concern  or  fear  about  our  pres- 
ence, —  for  a  Moro  is  nothing  if  not  proud,  —  or  else 
preferred  to  draw  their  own  conclusions  from  time  and 
observation. 

In  the  outset  of  trying  to  establish  friendly  relations, 
ill  luck  befell.  Simultaneously  with  the  Americans  there 
appeared  amongst  the  Moros  the  most  fearful  of  all  dis- 
eases, the  Asiatic  cholera,  and  straightway  it  was 
charged  upon  us.  The  white  men  were  in  league  with 
the  Cholera  Man,  and  had  brought  his  devils  to  destroy 
the  Moros.  My  few  friends  dropped  away  out  of  sight, 
whence  they  had  come.  Prowling  bands,  even  lone 
Moros,  beset  the  trails  and  camp,  lying  in  wait  and  at- 

545 


ISLANDS   OF   THE  PACIFIC 

tacking  with  fury  and  bitterness  lone  sentinels  and  small 
parties.  A  single  old  datto,  Alandug,  stayed.  From 
his  seacoast  village  he  had  looked  wider  upon  the  world, 
and  was  wiser  than  his  fellows.  I  did  not  need  to  tell 
him,  for  he  easily  saw  for  himself,  our  mortal  terror  of 
the  cholera,  whose  cause  we  called  germs,  he,  devils. 
He  did  not,  however,  understand  why  we  were  not  dy- 
ing like  the  Moros.  I  showed  him  the  soldiers  boiling 
their  water,  and  told  him  that  before  drinking  we  thus 
drove  the  cholera  forth  from  the  water  in  which  it  lived. 
To  my  surprise  he  never  flinched  at  the  statement,  he 
swallowed  it  whole;  this  truth,  so  hard  of  acceptance 
among  wiser  men,  found  ready  belief  with  this  savage. 
Long  afterward  I  knew  why.  It  agreed  with  the  Moro 
religious  theory  that  all  diseases  are  but  devils  that  have 
slipped  from  the  outside  into  the  body.  Our  theory  and 
theirs,  so  different,  yet  the  same,  proved  a  first  bond, 
something  common  between  white  man  and  brown. 
Alandug  told  the  other  Moros  what  a  just  theory  the 
Americans  had  of  the  cholera,  and  how  the  awful  disease 
had  killed  but  few  Americans.  In  a  short  time  my  friends 
began  to  come  back  with  him,  bringing  all  the  ills  of 
human  flesh  for  cure  by  advice  of  the  white  man,  in 
whose  medical  theories  they  had  quickly  acquired  con- 
fidence. Thenceforward  medicine,  and  especially  qui- 
nine, became  my  ally,  esteemed  above  right,  reason, 
principal,  and,  upon  occasions,  even  above  force. 

The  labor  of  building  a  great  road  through  mountain 
and  tropical  forest  was  slow.  We  were  still,  after  months, 
far  from  the  Moro  country,  not  among  the  people  we 
had  come  to  reach.  A  weekly  market  at  a  coast  settle- 
ment, and  the  season  of  salt-boiling,  were,  however, 

546 


PREPARING  OUR  MOROS  FOR  GOVERNMENT 

bringing  parties  of  Moros  from  the  far  interior  past  us 
to  the  coast.  Curiosity  induced  them  to  squat,  talk, 
and  smoke  with  me,  while  they  "sized  up"  the  Ameri- 
cans and  admired  their  beautiful  arms. 

Thus  daily  I  spent  hours  with  them.  The  first  thing 
ever  in  their  eyes  and  thoughts  was  arms,  —  firearms, 
—  but  on  this  subject  I  would  not  talk.  They  were 
greatly  impressed  with  the  quantity  and  variety  of  the 
things  we  had.  Here  I  was  ready  for  them.  The  Moros 
were  very  poor,  they  said ;  they  rehed  upon  arms  and  the 
rehgion  of  the  Prophet;  their  sultans  and  dattos  were 
mighty,  and  were  not  subject  to  or  ruled  over  by  one 
another,  or  by  any  man,  because  they  were  brave,  feared 
not  death,  and  their  mountains  covered  them.  I  told 
them  of  the  might,  but  assured  them  of  the  friendly  inten- 
tions, of  the  Americans;  that  we  had  not  come  to  fight, 
but  to  open  roads,  so  that  the  Moros  could  come  to  buy, 
sell,  trade,  work  with  the  Americans  and  grow  rich;  that 
we  had  come  to  bring  the  Moros  all  the  valuable  and 
useful  things  which  they  saw  we  had.  I  ended  with  an 
offer  to  hire  and  pay  them  for  working  on  the  road. 
Thereat  they  professed  much  pleasure.  In  this,  my 
thoughts  were  on  work  for  peace,  theirs  on  arms  for 
war,  firearms,  which  in  the  Moro  eye  shut  out  sight  and 
consideration  of  all  things  else.  Moved  by  the  hope  of 
getting  these,  some  smaller  dattos  near,  after  much 
talk,  declared  themselves  ready  to  accept  the  offer  of 
work.  Old  Alandug  came  first,  with  a  handful  of  ugly- 
looking  followers,  whom  we  treated  like  kings,  and 
handled  Hke  infernal  machines  ready  to  go  off  at  any 
time.  When  at  the  end  of  the  day  they  received  their 
pay,  their  thoughts  turned  upon  the  coin,  the  money  in 

547 


ISLANDS   OF  THE   PACIFIC 

hand,  in  a  sort  of  charmed,  pleased  surprise.  The  next 
day  saw  their  numbers  grow;  succeeding  days  new 
groups  were  added,  with  growing  confidence,  but  armed, 
always  armed,  stuck  all  over  with  daggers  and  krises. 
A  few  days'  work,  however,  and  my  old  friend,  Alandug, 
fell  from  me  for  a  while  on  the  arms  question.  A  stray 
Moro,  a  low-bred,  common  fellow,  taking  advantage  of 
the  datto's  absence  at  work  with  me,  had  eloped  at  one 
fell  swoop  with  two  of  the  datto's  yoimg  wives.  The 
datto  must  have  revenge,  and,  to  obtain  it,  rifles  from 
me,  his  brother,  who  had  come  to  do  the  Moros  good. 
Disappointed  at  my  refusal,  he  went  away  sulking; 
but,  as  I  had  expected,  his  people  in  a  day  or  two 
sneaked  back  to  work  without  him,  to  get  from  the 
Americans  the  sure  pay  and  regular  food  which  made 
them  forget  their  datto's  anger.  It  was  an  augury  of 
good  which,  as  time  passed,  I  was  to  see  more  and  more 
reahzed. 

The  market-goers  and  salt-makers  carried  the  news 
of  the  money-getting  to  the  interior,  and  other  strangers 
appeared,  strengthening  the  number  of  our  laborers  and 
friends,  and  weakening  the  ranks  of  the  hesitating  or 
hostile.  Pay  for  work  was  sure,  and  the  burning  desire 
for  arms  began  to  be  forgotten  in  an  awakened  love  of 
gain.  A  new  force  was  at  work  among  Moros,  and  what, 
in  civilized  men,  we  rail  at  as  low  and  vile,  became  in 
these  savages  a  saving  virtue,  making  for  peace  and  prog- 
ress. The  followers  of  the  Datto  Alag  and  the  men  of 
Pugaan,  who,  on  account  of  a  damsel  bought  and  paid 
for  but  never  deHvered,  had  for  years  been  attacking 
one  another  on  sight,  and  dared  not  now,  as  they  loved 
their  Uves,  meet  on  market  or  trail,  wiped  the  score 

548 


PREPARING  OUR  MOROS  FOR  GOVERNMENT 

from  memory  to  come  and  earn  money  together  on  the 
American  road.  The  sultan  of  Balet  and  the  sultan  of 
Momungan,  next-door  neighbors  who,  in  a  way  to  rack 
the  nerve  and  wreck  the  best  men  ever  built,  had  long 
been  either  at  war  or  in  a  state  of  continual  guard  night 
and  day  against  each  other's  raids,  forgot  the  old  cannon 
that  had  been  the  cause  of  the  trouble,  and  came  to 
work  on  the  road  without  friction.  Men  to  whom  it  had 
been  discredit,  if  not  dishonor,  to  be  found  without  arms, 
gradually  came  to  lay  them  aside  at  the  white  man's  in- 
sistence, for  a  short  time  at  least,  while  they  labored. 
Harder  still  for  a  Moro, — whose  law  is  an  eye  for  an  eye, 
conduct  for  conduct  to  all  generations,  —  a  datto,  a  fa- 
vorite of  mine,  under  the  same  influence,  came  after  six 
months  to  look,  if  not  with  forgiveness,  at  least  with- 
out excitement  and  feverish  desire  to  kill,  upon  a  Moro 
road  laborer  of  mine,  some  of  whose  people  in  long-gone 
times  had  fought  and  wounded  the  datto's  grandfather. 

A  boyhood  spent  among  simple,  ignorant  plantation 
negroes,  later  experience  as  officer  over  them  and  others 
like  them,  the  FiHpinos,  had  strongly  impressed  upon 
me  the  distrust  which  such  people  always  feel  toward 
middlemen  of  all  kinds,  especially  interpreters.  Direct 
speech  alone  satisfies  them.  With  the  Moros  the  con- 
stant effort  and  practice  of  our  all-day  seances  had  in 
a  few  months  obviated  alike  the  need  of  interpreter 
and  the  possibiHty  of  distrust:  I  had  learned  their  own 
tongue.  They  could  talk  with  me  directly,  and  they 
soon  were  coming  oftener  and  farther  to  do  it. 

From  the  beginning,  among  these  visitors  had  ap- 
peared many  panditas,  scribes  and  priests,  men  of  solemn 
dignity  and  preoccupied  mien.  They  made  a  great  show 

549 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

of  silence;  but,  notwithstanding  this,  I  could  see  that 
in  reality,  by  look,  gesture,  and  occasional  word,  they 
generally  directed  the  speech  of  the  datto  whom  they 
accompanied.  They  touched  so  often  upon  rehgious 
matters  and  customs  that  I  had  quickly  felt  the  need  of 
being  informed  on  the  subject  of  Mohammedan  teach- 
ing, especially  concerning  conduct  and  foreign  relations. 
I  accordingly  "primed"  myself  at  once,  and  was  soon 
astonishing  the  panditas,  who  were  themselves  really 
ignorant  of  their  rehgion,  with  my  learned  talk  crammed 
for  the  occasion  from  Sales's  translation  of  the  Koran. 
With  the  Moros  in  Spanish  times,  rehgion  had  been  the 
greatest  stumbling-block.  In  their  view  the  Koran  was 
the  whole  law,  established  long  ago  in  the  days  of  the 
Prophet,  so  that  change  and  innovation  in  anything 
that  it  governed  (and  it  governed  all  things)  were  not 
only  unnecessary,  but  wrong.  Now  we,  the  Americans, 
had  not,  like  the  Spaniards,  come  talking  a  new  religion. 
We  had  the  correct  Moro  theory  of  disease.  Moreover, 
we  had,  as  it  were,  slipped  up  on  their  weak  human  side 
by  appeaUng  to  their  love  of  gain,  and  by  keeping  them 
employed  had  even  kept  their  thoughts  from  the  usual 
fanatical  channels  into  which  they  were  wont  to  turn 
on  meeting  new  things.  In  short,  before  the  Moros  knew 
it,  they  had  been  surprised,  juggled  out  of  their  usual 
position,  and  on  this  one  point  of  religion,  where  we  had 
expected  the  greatest  difficulty,  we  were,  on  account  of 
a  Httle  study  and  pains  (I  almost  said  trick),  not  only  to 
have  none,  but  were  to  meet  wdth  real  assistance  in  get- 
ting control  of  the  bulk  of  the  Moros.  Rehgion  is  the 
one  thing  if  there  is  any,  that  faintly  holds  together  the 
incoherent  groups  of  the  race.   After  many  visits  from 

550 


PREPARING  OUR  MOROS  FOR  GOVERNMENT 

less  important  priests,  came  the  chief  and  most  reverend 
one  in  all  Lanao,  an  old  and  very  shrewd  man.  I  re- 
ceived and  treated  him  with  great  dignity  and  show  of 
respect,  and  talked  the  Koran  with  him  as  long  as  he 
pleased.  Delighted  with  his  first  reception,  he  came 
again  and  often.  In  a  few  months  he  was  my  stanch 
friend,  and  was  sending  letters  and  messages  to  his 
people,  many  of  whom  were  now  either  preparing  for 
war  or  had  already  been  committing  acts  of  war  against 
the  Americans.  He  told  them  that  he  spoke  the  will  of 
Allah- 'ta- Allah  (God) ;  it  was  that  they  hve  in  peace  and 
accept  the  Americans.  He  assured  them  that  the  Ameri- 
cans also,  Uke  the  Moros,  knew  the  will  of  Allah-'ta- 
Allah  and  the  words  of  the  Prophet.  With  this  old  man 
I  advised  on  many  subjects,  and  one  of  his  last  acts 
with  me  was  to  rise,  to  my  great  surprise,  in  a  grand 
assembly  of  his  people  a  year  after  our  first  meeting, 
and  solemnly  announce  it  as  the  will  of  God,  made 
known  to  him,  that  the  Americans  rule  over  the  Moro 
people  and  tax  them  to  the  fifth  of  all  their  goods!  He 
could  have  given  no  greater  proof  of  loyalty,  for  the  rock 
on  which  his  people  split  was  taxes. 

For  nearly  a  year  the  presence  of  the  Americans,  con- 
tact with  them,  observation,  the  example  they  offered 
of  order,  obedience,  and  government,  the  practice  which 
in  working  with  the  Americans  the  Moros  themselves 
received  in  obedience,  order,  industry,  and  responsibil- 
ity, were  lessons  to  the  Moros  preparatory  to  govern- 
ment, which  was  to  follow.  On  many  these  lessons 
were  unmistakably  having  the  desired  effect;  on  others, 
not.  The  latter  committed  against  the  Americans  every 
aggression  that  treachery  and   stealth  could  devise. 


ISLANDS   OF   THE  PACIFIC 

Sentinels  were  stabbed  in  the  dark,  lone  soldiers  am- 
bushed, cut  up,  and  killed,  small  parties  attacked, 
tents,  tools,  and  arms  stolen  and  carried  away.  Our 
patience  long  left  these  things  unpunished,  hoping  that 
with  time  and  a  better  comprehension  of  us  the  Moros 
would  of  themselves  see  the  folly  of  continuing  such 
acts.  On  the  contrary,  as  the  road  went  deeper  and 
deeper  into  the  Moro  country,  these  aggressions  be- 
came worse  and  more  frequent.  Our  enemies,  and  even 
our  friends,  began  to  think  we  were  afraid.  Un- 
punished, enjoying  to  the  full  at  our  expense  the  grati- 
fication of  their  Moro  love  of  lawlessness,  our  enemies 
taunted  our  friends  with  a  foolish  self-denial  in  abstain- 
ing from  the  sport.  The  friends  felt  and  protested  that 
we  were  making  no  difference  between  good  and  bad, 
between  friend  and  foe.  They  demanded,  and  indeed  it 
was  right,  that  a  distinction  should  be  made. 

There  was,  therefore,  better  feeling  when  one  morn- 
ing all  learned  that  we  had  surprised  in  his  mountains, 
captured  the  arms,  destroyed  the  rendezvous,  and  scat- 
tered the  band  of  Datto  Matuan,  whose  followers,  as 
all  Moros  knew,  had  beset  and  robbed  the  American 
camps.  This  was  emphasized  when,  a  few  days  later, 
after  wandering  all  night  through  the  forest  and  moun- 
tains and  wading  lake  and  marshes,  we  had  captured 
the  fort  and  had  utterly  wiped  out  the  band  of  the  sultan 
of  Birimbingan.  His  people  under  pretense  of  selHng 
fruit  had  treacherously  approached,  cut  up,  and  dis- 
abled for  life  an  American  soldier.  Jeeringly  referring 
to  the  American  slowness  to  act  against  their  enemies, 
he  had  answered  my  demand  for  redress  by  saying  that 
he  would  take  my  message  under  consideration  for  some 

552 


PREPARING  OUR  MOROS  FOR  GOVERNMENT 

months,  and  then  let  me  know  whether  he  would  talk 
about  the  matter  at  all.  But  respect  grew  when  the  news 
spread  of  a  score  dead  in  the  town  of  Bacayauan,  whose 
people  had  killed  a  soldier  for  the  purpose  of  robbery, 
and  who,  when  called  upon  for  justice,  had  first  ignored, 
and  then,  fortifying  the  town,  had  defied  the  Americans. 

Nothing  that  happened  between  Americans  and 
Moros  was  hidden.  For  the  sake  of  instruction  and 
effect  Moros  were  made  to  know  or  hear  all,  and  in  these 
expeditions  the  effect  was  increased  in  Moro  eyes  by  the 
fact  that  the  Americans  had  distinguished  well,  and 
no  friendly  Moro  had  suffered  at  their  hands.  There 
was  in  consequence  a  wider  call  for  American  flags  as 
a  symbol  of  friendship.  It  was  enough.  Punitive  meas- 
ures were  thereupon  stopped.  They  were  stopped  out 
of  poHcy  also,  with  a  view  to  the  future  pacification  of 
even  the  bad  Moros,  on  the  knowledge  that  with  them 
it  is  revenge,  an  eye  for  an  eye  to  the  end  of  time,  with- 
out regard  to  how  justly  he  who  first  lost  an  eye  deserved 
to  lose  it.  For  this  reason  a  ''kill  and  burn"  policy  can 
never  succeed  with  Moros,  can  do  nothing  more  than 
destroy  them. 

These  object-lessons  had  gradually,  with  the  passage 
of  time,  brought  many  villages  and  settlements  to 
peaceful  recognition  of  the  American  commander  as 
their  common  superior.  As  this  process  went  on  it 
brought  to  light  the  miserable  conditions  under  which 
these  savages  had  always  lived,  —  willing,  yet  of  them- 
selves helpless,  to  throw  them  off.  I  was  overwhelmed 
with  a  flood  of  complaints,  requests  to  adjudicate  claims, 
settle  disputes  and  differences  between  different  dattos 
and  villages,  punish  countless  robberies,  burnings,  mur- 

553 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

ders,  and  woundings,  for  which  there  had  never  in  Moro 
history  been  any  other  tribunal  than  war  and  counter- 
aggression.  The  story  led  back  as  far  as  tradition  goes, 
and  opened  a  broad  field  of  work,  too  broad  for  one  man. 

It  was  plain  that  here,  at  least,  near  the  road,  the 
preparations  for  government  had  outrun  the  provision 
of  machinery  for  its  operation.  However,  something  had 
to  be  done.  I  therefore  quietly  assumed  the  functions  of 
lawmaker,  ruler,  and  judge,  ruled  and  settled  disputes 
and  differences  on  my  own  judgment  and  knowledge  of 
conditions.  The  law  was  scarcely  of  record,  —  neither 
was  the  old  English  Common  Law,  —  and  the  govern- 
ment was  somewhat  informal;  but,  like  all  simple  folk, 
Moros  seemed  to  prefer  personaKty  to  form  in  govern- 
ment. Fortunately,  too,  with  my  clients  exact  justice 
according  to  civilized  ideas  was  not  necessary,  nor  in 
demand.  Moro  ideas  of  justice  were,  from  their  history, 
tradition,  and  lives,  naturally  hazy  and  faint,  not  to  say 
nil.  It  was  more  important  here  that  there  be  some  law 
than  that  it  be  perfect,  some  decision  and  end  of  contro- 
versy than  that  they  be  just. 

My  dictum  was  therefore  accepted  in  general  by  the 
Moros  near.  Soon,  however,  the  rumor  of  these  things 
spreading,  acts  in  intentional  contempt  and  defiance 
of  them  as  representing  the  growing  American  authority 
began  to  be  committed  by  remoter  dattos.  Mihtary 
men  stationed  among  them  need  never  seek  occasions 
of  quarrels  with  Moros.  Moro  ignorance,  folly,  and  per- 
versity can  be  relied  upon  to  furnish  plenty  of  occasions, 
and  such  occasions  as  cannot  be  ignored  or  pardoned. 
Two  such  were  now  forced  upon  me.  The  sultan  of 
Detse-en,  amongst  the  most  powerful  Moros,  under 

SS4 


PREPARING  OUR  MOROS  FOR  GOVERNMENT 

threat  of  war  to  the  bitter  end,  was  required  to  make  full 
apology,  and  to  cut  off  his  son  from  the  succession  to  the 
sultanate,  for  public  and  boastful  abuse  of  the  American 
flag.  It  was  a  fit  and  effective  though  severe  punish- 
ment. The  second  was  even  worse.  One  morning  I  sur- 
prised and  captured,  and  soon  had  tried  and  sentenced 
to  seventeen  years'  imprisonment,  two  dattos  who,  to 
show  their  disregard  and  contempt  of  what  the  Amer- 
icans had  enjoined,  had  made,  against  Filipinos,  a  suc- 
cessful slave-taking  expedition  by  sea,  under  the  Amer- 
ican flag,  which  they  had  somehow  managed  to  get  hold 
of!  With  the  Moros  restraint  of  personal  Hberty  is  the 
most  grievous  of  all  things;  it  is  inflicted  for  no  crime, 
however  great,  and  is  allowed  for  but  one  cause,  — 
insanity.  The  punishment  of  the  two  dattos,  therefore, 
spoke  straight  to  the  Moro  heart,  and  all  were  made  to 
hear  it.  Death  were  far  preferable.  The  abused  flag 
came  into  my  hands  along  with  the  dattos.  That  was 
the  latest,  no  doubt  it  will  be  the  last,  time  that  the 
American  flag  will  cover  a  slave-taking  expedition. 

The  road  had  now  been  finished.  In  its  concluding 
stages  the  competition  among  the  Moros  for  the  work, 
for  the  opportunity  to  earn  money,  had  become  so  sharp 
as  to  be  troublesome.  Dattos  were  quarrehng  with  one 
another  about  it,  and,  once  started  at  work  at  a  given 
point,  they  were  so  self-willed  and  determined  that  they 
could  hardly  be  stopped  to  be  directed  elsewhere. 

The  road  work  ended,  the  danger  of  idleness  arose, 
for  it  had  now  become  evident  to  me  that  Moros  could 
be  managed  in  two  ways  only,  —  by  putting  them  at 
work  and  keeping  them  at  work,  or  by  putting  them  in 
fear  and  keeping  them  in  fear.  There  is  no  possibility  of 

555 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

living  in  quiet  with  unoccupied  or  unco  wed  Moros. 
I  preferred  the  method  of  work. 

On  my  offer  to  hire  them  now  to  fetch  supplies  from 
the  seacoast,  there  were  repeated  all  the  doubt,  hesita- 
tion, and  delay  of  the  time  when  they  first  began  work 
upon  the  road,  complicated  this  time  by  fear  that  the 
Americans  might  try  to  make  them  carry  bacon  or  some- 
thing that  contained  some  product  of  the  hog,  to  the 
Mohammedan  the  lowest  and  vilest  of  things,  accursed 
of  God  and  the  Prophet.  After  repeated  reassurances 
on  this  point,  they  began.  At  first,  to  make  sure,  they 
would  carry  only  flour,  but  the  work  proved  profitable 
and  became  most  popular.  Then  they  took  boxed  stuff, 
then  canned  stuff,  then  ceased  to  question  what,  — 
every  man  wisely  curbing  his  curiosity,  holding  his 
tongue,  carrying  all  things  that  came,  and  bacon  at  last 
among  the  rest! 

Assuredly  the  leaven  of  new  ideas  was  working.  Grad- 
ually, in  the  past  few  months,  the  Moros  had  accepted 
much;  and  this  demonstrated  their  readiness  to  accept 
more,  of  what  was  American.  The  time  seemed  oppor- 
tune to  give  more  form  to  this  beginning  of  control. 
Accordingly  the  writer  was  duly  appointed  governor 
of  the  Lanao  Moros,  with  a  small  staff,  and  a  scheme  of 
government  somewhat  Hke  that  obtaining  over  the  rest 
of  the  Philippines.  Its  defects  were  manifest  at  the  very 
first  effort  to  put  it  in  operation.  It  failed  to  turn  to 
accoimt,  to  place  itself  at  the  head  of  the  weak,  but  only 
organization  in  all  Moro-land,  the  datto  group,  and  to 
lay  hold  of  the  only  power  known  to  Moros,  the  authority 
of  the  datto. 

On  a  small  scale  and  imperfectly  I  had  already  had  a 

556 


PREPARING  OUR  MOROS  FOR  GOVERNMENT 

government  in  operation  in  the  only  way  that  govern- 
ment can  for  years  be  operated  among  the  Moros,  — ■ 
one-man  power  without  formality,  backed  by  force  and 
a  knowledge  of  the  conditions,  and  exercised  upon  the 
people  through  their  dattos.  As  the  law  for  the  new 
government  did  not  contain  these  essential  provisions, 
it  would  not  work;  but  the  little  machinery  of  govern- 
ment which  had  previously  been  set  up  went  on  working 
quietly,  until  the  new  law  by  amendment  adapted  itself 
to  the  requirements  of  conditions,  and  the  governor  be- 
came dejure  what  he  had  already  long  been  de  facto,  — 
father,  adviser,  judge,  sheriff,  ruler,  lawmaker,  with  the 
dattos  as  his  subalterns  and  assistants. 

Formal  acceptance  of  government  was  naturally  re- 
garded by  the  Moros  as  a  serious  step,  even  where  they 
had  already  in  effect  been  living  under  that  same  govern- 
ment for  some  months.  Reasons  were  demanded.  I 
therefore  held  meetings  to  explain  and  satisfy  all.  Argu- 
ment was  made  as  varied  and  as  different  as  the  dattos 
themselves.  Here  came  in  profitably  the  knowledge 
which  I  had  gradually  been  acquiring  of  each  and  every 
one's  circumstances  and  history.  For  one,  it  was  suffi- 
cient to  point  out  that  Americans  had  not  bothered  his 
religion  or  his  women;  for  another,  that  he  had  suffered 
no  injustice  from  us  as  he  had  from  other  Moros, 
Filipinos,  or  Spaniards;  for  this  one,  that  tribal  wars  in 
which  his  people  had  almost  been  wiped  out  had  been 
stopped  by  the  Americans;  for  that  one,  that  we  had 
suppressed  the  thieves  who  had  been  robbing  him  of  his 
women  and  goods.  It  was  enough  to  remind  the  sultan 
of  Sungud  how  he  and  his  people  had  prospered  by  the 
Americans,  and  the  datto  of  Punud  that  he  was  wearing 

557 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

rich  clothes  since  we  came.  It  satisfied  some  that  we 
had  not  come  and  tried  to  place  over  them  the  Filipinos, 
upon  whom  the  Moros  look  with  contempt  as  the  imme- 
morial source  of  their  slave  supply,  and  with  hatred  as 
their  traditional  enemies;  and  others,  that  we  had 
already  adjusted  and  would  go  on  adjusting  —  it  was 
the  purpose  of  the  government  to  adjust  —  differences, 
and  punishing  wrongs  between  the  different  groups  of 
the  Moros,  and  so  wipe  out  the  sudden  deadly  attacks 
by  one  another  from  which  all  had  suffered,  and  of 
which  all  stood  in  constant  dread  before  the  Americans 
came  among  them, 

''Why  do  you  want  this,  and  what  do  you  come  here 
for,  anyhow?"  questioned,  at  one  of  these  meetings,  the 
old  sultan  of  Bayabao,  after  I  had  just  finished  dealing 
out  quinine  to  him  and  his  begging  retinue  one  raw, 
rainy  day.  "We  are  satisfied  as  we  are,"  he  added 
vehemently,  as  he  sat  shivering  in  bare  feet,  thin  shirt, 
and  flimsy  trousers  before  me,  well,  warmly,  and  dryly 
clad. 

"Have  you  such  shoes  and  clothes  as  I  to  warm  your 
body  and  protect  your  feet?  Or  have  you  such  medicines 
as  I  have  just  given  you  to  cure  your  sickness?"  I 
answered.  "  Do  you  know  how  to  make  them?  "  He  was 
silent  and  the  great  crowd  listened.  "We  do,  and  have 
come  to  show  you.  That  is  why." 

To  this  day  he  and  his  people  have  not  fought  the 
Americans,  nor  resisted  their  government. 

It  pleased  and  convinced  many  when  I  pointed  out 
and  emphasized,  what  they  already  knew,  that  now, 
with  a  security  hitherto  unknown  to  them,  they  were 
able  to  travel  through  all  Lanao. 

558 


PREPARING  OUR  MOROS  FOR  GOVERNMENT 

Such  were  the  reasons  given,  and  they  were  pointed 
out  and  patiently  repeated  as  the  direct  good  which  had 
already  come,  and  of  which  more  was  to  be  expected, 
from  the  power  and  authority  of  the  Americans.  They 
won  over  gradually,  without  war,  half  of  all  the  Mala- 
naos,  and  government  went  on  taking  on  more  form; 
but  the  most  numerous,  warlike,  and  inaccessible  tribe, 
under  the  most  influential  hereditary  sultan  of  all, 
remained  stubbornly  hostile  and  aggressive.  In  twos 
and  threes,  his  people  prowled  about,  and  by  cunning, 
stealth,  and  lying  in  wait,  lost  no  opportunity  to  rob, 
assault,  stab,  kill.  They  would  accept  nothing  the 
Americans  said,  for  while  with  most  men  it  is  credulity, 
with  Moros  it  seems  to  be  increduhty,  that  goes  with 
ignorance  of  the  world.  To  them,  accustomed  to  see 
men  governed  only  by  desires  and  passions,  it  was  in- 
conceivable that  the  Americans  bore  these  aggressions 
from  any  other  cause  than  fear  or  weakness.  Tradition 
and  experience  were  all  against  such  an  idea.  To  them, 
whose  largest  example  of  power  had  been  a  datto  who 
could  muster  a  few  hundred  men,  it  was  wholly  in- 
credible, and  they  ridiculed  the  idea,  that  the  United 
States  could  bring  against  them  any  more  men  or 
arms  than  they  had  already  brought.  To  them  it  was 
inconceivable  that  any  man  who  could  would  not  with- 
out more  ado  destroy  his  enemy.  That  the  Americans 
had  not  done  this  meant  therefore  that  the  Americans 
could  not  do  it.  To  talk  to  them  of  power  without  exer- 
cising it,  or  of  punishment  without  executing  it,  was 
taken  as  mere  vaporing.  To  my  persuasion,  demands, 
and  threats  alike,  therefore,  their  dattos  sent  jeering 
replies  or  answered  me  with  worse  aggressions.    The 

559 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

last  straw  was  the  murder  of  four  soldiers  by  stealth,  to 
secure  their  arms.  Then  followed  a  deadly  punitive 
expedition.  It  carried  surprise  and  astonishment,  a 
fearful  lesson  to  foolish,  boastful  savages  whose  ideas 
of  war  were  one  thousand,  and  of  power  three  thousand 
years  behind  their  age.  This  was  the  last  argument, 
and  to  my  next  invitation  not  only  those  who  had  been 
punished,  but  the  few  others  who  had  stood  aloof, 
declared  their  readiness,  and  in  a  short  time  came  under 
the  new  government. 

In  organizing  them,  wherever  they  could  be  won  over 
and  had  made  full  submission,  those  dattos  who  had  led 
in  hostility  were  appointed  to  authority  over  their 
people  under  the  United  States;  for  history  shows  that 
such  men,  under  the  conqueror,  and  whether  the  con- 
queror wills  it  or  no,  remain  the  strong  spirits  and  real 
rulers  of  their  country.  Violent  changes  were  thus 
avoided. 

All  had  now  come  under  American  authority,  and 
the  work  of  inducing  them  to  accept  government  was 
practically  finished.  There  was,  however,  one  thing  that 
still  stuck  in  the  throats  of  all,  choking  and  gagging  even 
those  who  willingly  and  peacefully  had  long  been  Uving 
under  the  new  order.  This  was  the  question  of  taxation, 
a  delicate  subject,  a  last  test  with  Moros,  because  it  is 
a  matter  of  religion.  There  had  been  much  talk  and 
murmur  of  this  through  all  the  tribes  and  groups.  There- 
fore I  again  held  a  meeting,  at  which  were  assembled 
all  the  sultans,  dattos,  and  men  of  consequence,  for 
question  and  discussion.  I  laid  before  them  all  the 
reasons.  It  appealed  to  the  dattos  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed to  oflSces  over  their  people,  to  say  that  we  must 

560 


PREPARING  OUR  MOROS  FOR  GOVERNMENT 

have  money  to  pay  them,  but  these  were  very  few. 
Again,  for  the  common  good,  I  said,  —  to  punish  crim- 
inals and  catch  thieves;  but  the  common  good  had  little 
meaning  for  men  who  had  known  no  government,  no 
res  publica,  nothing  common;  let  every  man  care  for 
himself,  was  their  idea.  In  aU  their  experience  taxes 
stood  for  what  had  been  wrung  for  selfish  purposes  by 
the  strong  from  the  weak,  by  conqueror  from  conquered, 
by  master  from  his  bondman;  and  money  paid  for  any 
other  cause  than  direct  barter  and  sale  meant  tribute, 
a  horrible  thing  of  subjection,  dishonor,  and  slavery. 
That  good  should  be  alleged  of  taxation  was  incompre- 
hensible; that  it  was  intended  for  the  good  of  those  who 
paid  it  was  past  belief.  All  their  experience  and  tradi- 
tion were  contrary  to  such  a  thing.  PubHc  spirit  could 
not  be  appealed  to,  for  long  habit  of  Hfe  in  minute  com- 
munities had  effectually  throttled  the  budding  of  such  a 
feeling,  and  left  only  selfishness. 

Yet  I  felt  no  uncertainty  as  to  the  ultimate  outcome 
of  the  matter ;  for  by  experience  I  had  learned  that  in  all 
things  whatsoever,  to  the  last,  the  white  man  outclasses, 
and  can  always  find  some  intellectual  way  to  go  around, 
a  Moro.  In  this  matter  it  came  thus:  — 

The  Moros,  like  all  other  natives  of  the  Philippines, 
are  possessed  of  a  consuming  desire  to  carry  a  "pass,"  — 
some  sort  of  an  ofiicial  certificate  as  to  character,  home, 
business,  and  the  like,  of  the  bearer,  —  and  they  are 
willing  to  pay  any  amoimt  therefor,  and  never  think  of 
it  as  taxation.  On  this  weak  point  the  Moros  showed 
the  first  signs  of  yielding.  Then  the  plan  of  indirect 
taxation  caught,  pleased,  and  overcame  them,  as  it 
catches  wiser  men  than  they.    Imported  cotton  cloth 

561 


ISLANDS  OF  THE  PACIFIC 

paying  duty  at  the  custom  house  had  long  been  reachmg 
the  Moros  through  a  few  coast  traders,  and  was  now  in 
large  use  among  all  Moros,  Touching  the  jacket  of  the 
nearest  datto,  "You  are  a  lot  of  foolish  and  ignorant 
children,"  I  said.  "You  are  hagghng  about  paying 
taxes  when  you  have  already  been  doing  it  for  years, 
and  have  actually  been  giving  the  Americans  money  to 
pay  me,  to  pay  the  interpreter  and  all  my  soldiers."  This 
at  once  caught  their  attention.  The  explanation  fol- 
lowed. They  understood  it  remarkably  quickly.  They 
saw  the  humor  and  the  truth  of  the  thing,  and,  wonder- 
ing at  the  finesse  that  had  been  able  to  make  them  con- 
tribute to  their  own  subjugation,  yielded  in  a  sort  of 
nonplussed  way,  feeling,  no  doubt,  that  it  was  useless 
to  hope  to  escape  a  people  who  could  devise  such  a 
smart  system  of  getting  money  from  other  people  with- 
out the  latter's  even  knowing  it.  To  my  help  also  at 
this  jimcture  came  my  old  friend,  the  priest  Noskalim, 
the  Metropolitan,  as  it  were,  of  Lanao,  with,  if  not  a 
revelation,  something  better  —  wisdom  —  to  his  people: 
"  It  is  the  will  of  Allah- 'ta- Allah,  The  Merciful,  who  has 
many  names." 

In   these  ways  government  and  civilization  have 
gained  upon  them. 


BARO   BUDDOR,   AN  ANCIENT  TEMPLE  OF 
JAVA 


BARO   BUDDOR,  AN  ANCIENT  TEMPLE 
OF  JAVA 

All  that  is  known  of  the  early  history  of  Java  is  that  be- 
fore the  eleventh  century  the  island  had  made  a  long  advance 
on  the  path  of  civilization.  This  civilization  was  derived 
from  the  Hindus,  and  was  accompanied  by  the  worship  of 
Buddha.  A  few  centuries  later,  came  the  Hindu  Mohamme- 
dans as  merchants  or  settlers,  and  also  as  missionaries. 
Later  still,  Hindu  intercourse  with  Europeans  began.  This 
was  first  carried  on  by  the  East  India  Company  of  Holland; 
and  the  Dutch  gradually  extended  their  rule,  although  from 
1811  to  1816  the  island  was  in  the  hands  of  the  English.  At 
first  the  Dutch  looked  upon  Java  in  the  familiar  fashion  of 
the  eighteenth  century  in  regard  to  colonies,  that  is,  simply 
as  places  from  which  revenue  might  be  obtained;  but  since 
1870  an  effort  has  been  made  to  govern  the  land  in  the 
interest  of  the  Javanese  as  well  as  the  Dutch. 

The  Buddhist  temple  of  Baro  Buddor  ranks  among  the 
architectural  wonders  of  the  world.  Originally  a  hill  of  lava, 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  it  was  hewn  by  the 
ancient  Hindu  builders  into  six  mighty  terraces,  of  which 
the  lowest  is  six  hundred  feet  square,  surmounted  by  a  host 
of  bell-shaped  cupolas  and  crowded  wdth  sculptures.  If  the 
statues  and  bas-reliefs  of  this  temple  were  placed  side  by 
side  they  would  extend  three  miles.  Taken  together,  they 
form  a  gigantic  object  lesson  of  the  teachings  of  Buddha. 
Ascending  the  terrace,  the  worshiper  passed  first  through 
scenes  of  domestic  and  outdoor  life,  men  shooting  with  blow- 
pipes or  bows  and  arrows,  musicians  playing  bagpipes,  fisher- 
•  men  with  nets  and  rods,  etc.  As  he  ascended,  the  statues 
grew  more  and  more  religious  in  character  until  at  length, 
having  passed  through  the  stages  of  instruction  and  left  the 
things  of  the  world  far  beneath  him,  he  was  ready  to  enter 
the  apex  of  the  temple  and  behold  with  enlightened  e3-es  the 
image  of  Buddha,  left  unfinished  as  a  symbol  of  the  inability 
of  human  art  to  realize  or  represent  perfection. 


'Tit 

Rpnf    <HHE9HH 

^^H 

9 

l^^iH^^^Hr^ 

i^H 

j| 

m 

B^^E  '^ 

m 

ft  Sf^  J^  :    '^ 

^' 

u 

1 

• 

V^B^(jUp^?{B 

K^^'W^m 

fl 

ij'' 

1 

|^H||Gj^kS?j||  Jl 

^^9^^H 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^R^f  >wl ' 

^IH^^^^^^H   flr 

1 

H^Sii' 

■ 

IKI'j 

1 

L^ 

iJi. 

.M 

DETAIL  OF   TEMPLE   AT  BRAMBANAN 


DETAIL  OF  TEMPLE  AT  BRAMBANAN 

At  Brambanan,  not  far  from  Baro  Buddor,  there  stand 
in  the  midst  of  the  tropical  jungle  the  remains  of  an  immense 
group  of  Buddhist  temples.  Although  in  ruins  these  temples 
fill  the  beholder  with  awe  as  he  considers  the  amount  of 
labor  represented  by  the  elaborate  carvings  and  statues, 
such  as  these  shown  in  the  illustration,  with  which  every 
part  of  the  hundreds  of  buildings  in  this  vast  group  is 
covered. 


I 


A  VISIT  TO  A  HEAD-HUNTER   OF  BORNEO 

BY  WILLIAM  HENRY  FURNESS,   THIRD 

[Borneo  is  the  fifth  largest  island  in  the  world.  Even  now 
only  a  comparatively  small  portion  of  it  has  been  explored, 
although  Portugal,  Spain,  Holland,  and  England  have  all 
had  commercial  interests  in  the  country.  The  northern  part 
is  now  under  an  EngHsh  protectorate;  the  southern  is  gov- 
erned by  the  Dutch  through  the  native  chiefs. 

The  Editor.] 

Aban  Avit  sat  beside  us,  and  while  we  were  filling  our 
pipes  he  produced  from  the  bamboo  box,  hanging  at  his 
side,  some  tobacco  and  some  of  that  beautifully  dried 
leaf  of  the  wild  banana  cut  from  the  heart  of  the  plant, 
before  the  leaf  is  unfurled;  in  unskilled  hands  it  tears 
like  wet  tissue-paper,  but  in  Aban  Avit's  a  tapering, 
symmetrical  cigarette,  eight  inches  long,  was  skillfully 
rolled  on  his  thigh.  A  circle  of  small  boys  squatted 
around  us,  their  bright  little  eyes  watching  our  every 
movement  as  intently  as  we  stare  at  the  actions  of  some 
strange  animal  in  a  zoological  garden.  If  we  struck  a 
match,  or  sneezed,  or  buttoned  our  coats,  or  wiped  our 
faces  with  a  handkerchief,  dilated  eyes  and  open 
mouths  attended  the  action  with  rapt  interest.  A  few 
men  sat  near  their  chief,  and  now  and  then  murmured 
comments  to  one  another  in  their  native  tongue,  which 
we  did  not  fully  understand,  but  could  guess  from  the 
direction  of  their  eyes,  that  we  were  the  subject  of  their 

563 


ISLANDS   OF  THE  PACIFIC 

conversation.  The  evening  duties  of  the  household  were 
not,  however,  interrupted  on  our  account;  men  with 
bundles  of  dried  firewood  on  their  shoulders,  women 
staggering  under  a  load  of  bamboo  joints  filled  with 
water,  and  stacked  in  hampers  on  their  backs,  were  con- 
stantly passing  by  us,  treading  heavily,  and  making 
the  loose  boards  of  the  floor  clatter  and  rattle  as  they 
plodded  their  weary  way  to  their  apartments.  For  a 
time  there  was  almost  a  constant  succession  of  canoes 
coming  to  the  landing-place,  bringing  back  the  workers 
from  the  rice-clearings.  The  women  all  bending  under 
full  hampers,  some  with  fresh,  uncurled  fern-fronds,  and 
the  sprouts  of  a  variety  of  large  canna,  which  they  stew 
with  rice  to  add  variety  to  their  diet;  some  with  bundles 
of  the  young  banana  leaf,  whereof  to  make  cigarette- 
wrappers,  and  others  with  wild  tapioca  and  Vv'ild  yams. 
Each  one  carried  her  own  light  paddle  in  one  hand,  and 
a  large  round  and  flat  sun-hat  in  the  other.  None  of 
them  glanced  to  right  or  left,  but  made  her  way  direct 
to  her  family  room,  and  like  a  ghost  faded  into  the  dark- 
ness through  the  small  doorway.  After  them  followed 
the  men,  dangling  their  parangs  in  one  hand  and  traihng 
their  blow-pipes  and  spears  in  the  other.  They,  too, 
looked  fLxedly  ahead,  until  they  had  hung  up  their 
parangs  and  stuck  their  spears  perpendicularly  into  a 
rafter  so  that  the  shaft  should  be  kept  straight;  this 
done,  they  joined  the  group  round  the  fire,  or  went  down 
to  the  river  to  bathe.  At  the  far  end  of  the  house  some 
young  fellows  were  playing  mournful  tunes  on  a  kaluri, 
and  its  organ-like  notes  were  wafted  fitfully  down  to  us; 
now  and  then  a  baby's  wail  chimed  in,  and  then  was 
quieted  by  the  mother's  crooning  lullaby.  Beneath  the 

564 


A  VISIT   TO  A  HEAD-HUNTER   OF  BORNEO 

house,  the  contented  grunting  of  pigs  and  the  clucking 
of  chickens  denoted  that  these  omen-givers  had  returned 
from  their  foraging  in  the  jungle,  and  had  sought  the 
shelter  of  home  for  the  night. 

Thus  we  sat  as  twilight  faded  in  Aban  Avit's  veranda, 
—  in  the  home  of  these  people,  whereof  every  detail 
made  up  their  familiar,  commonplace  life,  the  only  life 
from  cradle  to  grave  that  they  had  ever  known  or  would 
know,  while  we  by  their  side  were  aliens  from  a  world 
twelve  thousand  miles  away,  from  a  country  that  they 
had  never  heard  of,  and  of  a  race  which  many  of  them 
had  never  seen  before.  We  were  in  the  very  heart  of 
the  Bornean  jungle,  guests  in  the  house  of  a  barbarous 
"savage"  and  bloodthirsty  "head-hunter,"  —  but  these 
terms,  when  applied  at  that  moment  to  our  host,  what 
misnomers !  Could  contrast  be  more  emphatic  than  the 
perfect  peacefulness  of  our  surroundings,  and  the 
thought  that  a  man  as  benignant  and  hospitable  as 
Aban  Avit  should  cherish  as  his  highest  aim  in  life  to 
add  every  year  to  that  cluster  of  human  heads  hanging 
from  the  rafters  just  above  us,  and  gently  swaying  in 
the  heat  ascending  from  the  flames?  Is  it  conceivable 
that  this  gentle-hearted  man,  and  his  circle  of  good- 
humored  friends,  could  take  pride  and  pleasure  in  recog- 
nizing and  rehearsing  the  slashes  and  gashes  borne  by 
each  head?  The  long  gash  there,  on  the  left  side  of  that 
skull,  showing  through  the  piece  of  old  casting-net,  was 
made  by  Tama  Lohong's  parang,  the  very  one  with 
carved  wooden  handle  that  he  carries  to  this  day.  The 
owner  of  the  next  skull  was  fishing  when  he  fell  a  victim 
to  a  stealthy  thrust  from  Apoi's  spear.  This  small  one 
is  that  of  a  young  girl  who  tried  to  escape  from  the  rear 

56s 


ISLANDS   OF  THE  PACIFIC 

of  a  house  when  they  burned  out  those  Madangs,  way 
over  near  the  Rejang  River.  Thus  they  can  enumerate 
them  all,  chief  and  slave,  man,  woman,  girl,  and  boy.  It 
all  seemed  so  at  variance  \vith  Aban  Avit's  genial,  cour- 
teous hospitality,  that  I  wondered  if  it  were  possible  to 
look  at  these  skulls  through  his  eyes,  and  to  sympathize 
with  his  thrill  of  pride  and  exultation  in  them.  I  waited 
until  Aban  Avit  had  his  cigarette  fairly  rolled  and  lit, 
and  then,  trying  not  to  appear  in  the  least  antagonistic, 
lest  I  should  fail  to  elicit  his  genuine  feeling,  I  asked, 
"0  Sabilah  [blood-brother],  why  is  it  that  all  you  people 
of  Kalamantan  kill  each  other  and  hang  up  these  heads? 
In  the  land  I  come  from  such  a  thing  is  never  known; 
I  fear  that  it  would  be  ill-spoken  of  there,  indeed,  per- 
haps, 'thought  quite  horrible.  What  does  Aban  Avit 
think  of  it?"  He  turned  to  me  in  utter,  absolute  sur- 
prise, at  first  with  eyes  half-closed,  as  doubting  that  he 
heard  aright,  and  letting  the  smoke  curl  slowly  out  of 
his  mouth  for  a  moment,  he  then  replied,  with  un- 
wonted vehemence:  "No,  Tuan!  No!  the  custom  is  not 
horrible.  It  is  an  ancient  custom,  a  good,  beneficent 
custom,  bequeathed  to  us  by  our  fathers  and  our 
fathers'  fathers;  it  brings  us  blessings,  plentiful  harvests, 
and  keeps  off  sickness  and  pains.  Those  who  were 
once  our  enemies  hereby  become  our  guardians,  our 
friends,  our  benefactors."  "But,"  I  interrupted,  "how 
does  Aban  A\'it  know  that  these  dried  heads  do  all  this? 
Don't  you  make  it  an  excuse  just  because  you  like  to 
shed  blood  and  to  kill?"  "Ah,  Tuan,  you  white  men 
had  no  great  chief,  like  Tokong,  to  show  you  what  was 
right;  have  n't  you  ever  heard  the  story  of  Tokong  and 
his  people?  He  was  Rajah  of  the  Sibops  and  the  father 

S66 


A  VISIT  TO  A  HEAD-HUNTER   OF  BORNEO 

of  all  the  Kayans,  and  lived  long,  long,  long  ago."  I  was 
not  acquainted  with  the  story  of  Tokong,  so  I  begged 
him  to  relate  it;  then,  squatting  on  the  floor  with  his 
forearms  lightly  resting  on  his  knees,  and  his  hands 
danghng  in  front  of  him,  he  meditatively  relit  his  ciga- 
rette, and,  gazing  lovingly  up  at  the  cluster  of  skulls, 
began : — 

"It  was  in  the  old,  old  days,  long  before  the  Govern- 
ment came  here  (by  the  Government  I  mean  our  Tuan 
Rajah  Brooke),  it  happened  that  on  a  time  the  descend- 
ant of  the  heaven-born  Katirah  Murai,  Tokong,  and 
his  men  of  the  Sibop  tribe  were  on  an  expedition  down 
river  to  punish  a  household  of  thieves  who  had  stolen 
their  crop  of  rice  the  year  before,  and  had  chased 
Tokong's  women  and  children  from  the  jungle  clearings. 
It  was  the  time  of  year  when  the  fields  had  just  been 
planted,  and  before  the  rice  had  sprouted;  so  Tokong 
took  out  his  warriors  to  teach  these  thieves  that  this 
year  there  should  be  no  more  stealing.  When  they  had 
gone  down  river  to  the  great  bamboo  clump  where  they 
had  to  cross  through  the  jungle,  they  drew  their  canoes 
up  to  the  bank,  and,  with  Tokong  leading,  started  on 
their  stealthy  march.  When  the  eye  of  day  looked 
straight  down  at  them  over  their  heads,  they  rested  on 
the  bank  of  a  small  stream  which  ran  round  that  great 
rock  (perhaps,  Tuan,  you  have  seen  it) —  we  call  it 
'Batu  Kusieng,'  —  near  the  head-waters  of  the  Belaga 
and  Tinjar  Rivers.  They  had  cooked,  and  eaten,  and 
drawn  out  the  pegs  of  wood  whereon  their  rice-pots 
rested,  and  Rajah  Tokong  was  slipping  his  head  through 
his  war-coat  and  girding  on  his  parang,  when  he  heard, 
coming  from  imder  the  great  rock,  a  squeaking,  croaking 

567 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   PACIFIC 

voice,  uttering,  'Wong  kokok  tela  Batok.'^  He  paused, 
and  turning  round  to  listen  to  the  voice,  saw  a  large  frog 
with  its  young  ones  about  it  sitting  just  under  the  edge 
of  the  rock.  'Greetings  to  you,  Kop  (frog),'  said  the 
rajah.  *  What  is  the  meaning  of  your  croaking?'  and 
Kop  replied,  'Alas,  what  fools  you  Sibops  are!  You  go 
out  to  battle  and  kill  men,  but  you  take  back  with  you 
to  ornament  your  shields  only  their  hair;  whereas,  did 
you  but  know  it,  if  you  took  the  whole  head  you  would 
have  blessings  beyond  words.  In  sooth,  you  heavy- 
livered  people  know  not  how  to  take  a  head.  Look  here, 
and  I'll  show  you.'  This  spoke  Kop,  and  straightway 
seized  one  of  his  little  ones,  and  with  one  stroke  of  his 
parang  cut  off  its  head.  Tokong  was  exceedingly  angry 
at  the  impudence  and  the  cruelty  of  the  frog,  and,  pay- 
ing no  further  attention  to  it,  ordered  his  men  to 
advance  at  once.  But  some  of  the  older  men  among  them 
could  not  help  thinking  that  perhaps  Kop  spoke  the 
truth,  and  that  night,  while  they  sat  round  the  fire, 
holding  a  council  of  war  over  the  attack  on  the  enemy's 
house,  close  at  hand,  they  urged  Tokong  to  allow  them 
to  follow  the  frog's  advice.  At  first,  Tokong,  still  very 
angry  because  Kop  had  called  the  Sibops  'fools'  and 
'heavy-livered,'  refused;  but  finally,  seeing  that  many 
of  his  best  men  were  in  favor  of  it,  he  granted  their 
request.  Next  morning,  when  the  sky  began  to  turn 
gray  and  the  birds  in  the  trees  were  just  waking  up,  the 
Sibops  noiselessly  carried  armfuls  of  bark  and  grass, 
and  placed  them  beneath  the  thieves'  house,  and  set 
fire  to  them,  and  the  flames  ran  quickly  everywhere. 

1  Aban  Avit  did  not  translate  this,  and  I  believe  it  is  ancient  Ka- 
yan,  retained  for  its  onomatopoeic  sound. 

S68 


A  VISIT   TO  A  HEAD-HUNTER   OF   BORNEO 

Out  rushed  the  men  and  women,  some  jumping  into  the 
flames,  others  trying  to  slide  down  the  house-posts ;  but 
all  were  met  with  slashes  and  stabs  from  the  swords 
and  spears  of  Tokong's  men.  Many  were  killed  that 
day,  and  the  heads  of  three  were  cut  off  and  carried 
away  by  Tokong's  party,  who  retreated  at  once,  and, 
almost  before  they  knew  it,  were  at  the  landing-place 
on  the  river.  To  their  great  amazement,  they  found 
their  boats  all  ready  and  launched!  No  sooner  were 
they  seated  than  the  boats  began  to  move  off,  of  their 
own  accord,  right  upstream  in  the  direction  of  home. 
It  was  a  miracle!  The  current  of  the  stream  changed 
and  ran  uphill,  as  it  does  at  flood  tide  at  the  mouth  of  a 
river.  They  almost  immediately  reached  the  landing- 
place  close  to  their  house,  and  were  overjoyed  to  see  that 
the  crops  planted  only  fifteen  days  before  had  not  only 
sprouted,  but  had  grown,  had  ripened,  and  were  almost 
ready  for  the  harvest.  In  great  astonishment  they 
hurried  through  the  clearings,  and  up  to  their  house. 
There  they  found  still  greater  wonders !  Those  who  were 
ill  when  the  party  set  out  were  now  well,  the  lame 
walked  and  the  blind  saw!  Rajah  Tokong  and  all  his 
people  were  convinced  on  the  spot  that  it  was  because 
they  had  followed  Kop's  advice,  and  they  vowed  a  vow 
that  ever  afterward  the  heads  of  their  enemies  should 
be  cut  off  and  hung  up  in  their  houses.  This  is  the  story 
of  Rajah  Tokong,  Tuan.  We  all  follow  his  good  example. 
These  heads  above  us  have  brought  me  all  the  blessings 
I  have  ever  had;  I  would  not  have  them  taken  from  my 
home  for  all  the  silver  in  the  country." 

He  turned  to  appeal  to  his  people  sitting  near,  and 
they,  as  many  as  understood  Malay,  nodded  their  heads, 

569 


ISLANDS  OF  THE  PACIFIC 

glancing  from  him  to  us, and  murmuring  "Betul,  hetiU!" 
['T  is  true,  't  is  true.]  He  paused  to  get  an  ember  out 
of  the  glowing  heap  of  ashes  to  hght  his  cigarette  again, 
which  had  become  much  crumpled  during  the  narra- 
tion of  Rajah  Tokong's  first  head-hunt,  and  after  he  had 
it  once  more  in  shape,  I  asked  him  if  he  would  not 
regard  it  as  somewhat  of  an  inconvenience  if  his  own 
head  were  to  be  cut  off,  just  to  bring  blessings  to  an 
enemy's  house.  "Tuan,"  he  repHed,  "I  do  not  want  to 
become  dead  any  more  than  I  want  to  move  from  where 
I  am ;  if  my  head  were  cut  off,  my  second  self  would  go 
to  Bulun  Matai  [the  "Fields  of  the  Dead"],  where 
beyond  a  doubt  I  should  be  happy;  the  Dayongs  tell 
us,  and  surely  they  know,  that  those  who  have  been 
brave  and  have  taken  heads,  as  I  have,  will  be  respected 
in  that  other  world  and  will  have  plenty  of  riches.  When 
I  die,  my  friends  will  beat  the  gongs  loud  and  shout  out 
my  name,  so  that  those  who  are  already  in  Bulun 
Matai  will  know  that  I  am  coming,  and  meet  me  when  I 
cross  over  the  stream  on  Bintang  Sik6pa  [the  great  log], 
I  shall  be  glad  enough  to  see  them.  But  I  don't  want 
to  go  to-day,  nor  to-morrow."  His  faith  seemed  immov- 
able, but  I  could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  suggesting 
a  doubt,  so  I  asked  him  what  if  the  Dayongs  were 
wrong,  and  there  were  no  Bulun  Matai,  and  that  when 
he  stopped  breathing  he  really  died  and  knew  no  more. 
He  answered  me  almost  with  scorn  for  such  a  doubt. 
"Tuan,  nothing  really  dies,  it  changes  from  one  thing 
to  another.  The  Dayongs  must  be  right,  for  they  have 
been  to  the  Fields  of  the  Dead  and  come  back  to  tell  us 
all  about  it."  "Don't  you  feel  sorry,"  I  asked,  "for 
those  that  you  kill?   It  hurts  badly  to  be  cut  by  a 

570 


A  VISIT   TO  A  HEAD-HUNTER   OF   BORNEO 

parang  ;  you  don't  like  it,  and  those  whom  you  cut  down 
dislike  it  as  much  as  you  do;  they  are  no  more  anxious 
to  go  to  Apo  Leggan  or  Long  Julan  [regions  of  Bulun 
Matai]  than  you  are."  "Ah,  Tuan,"  he  replied,  with  the 
suggestion  of  a  patronizing  chuckle  in  his  voice,  "  you 
feel  just  as  I  did  when  I  was  a  little  boy  and  had  never 
seen  blood.  But  I  outgrew  such  feelings,  as  every  one 
should." 


END  OF  VOLUME  I 


CAMBRIDGE  .  MASSACHUSETTS 
U   .   S    .   A 


I     U   ^.   U  O 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA    000  877  417    6 


